Injured Hiker Carried out from Cascade Brook Trail

CONTACT:
CO Jonathan Demler
603-744-5470
6/25/2025

Lincoln, NH – At 1:05 p.m. on June 25, 2025, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department was notified of an injured hiker on the Cascade Brook Trail within the White Mountain National Forest. The hiker, Victoria Reynolds, 53, of Gorham, ME, was hiking with family when she suffered a fall and subsequent serious injury. Fortunately, Good Samaritan hikers who were also physicians soon encountered Reynolds’s party and a Conservation Officer arrived at the group’s location at 2:35 p.m. It was determined that Reynolds was not facing a life-threatening injury but that it was still severe, requiring Reynolds to be carried down the trail on a litter.

While the rescue was developing on Cascade Brook, another incident had occurred with a hiker suffering injuries on the Falling Waters Trail, located across the valley. Volunteer rescuers responding from the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team were split between the two incidents in an attempt to provide the necessary personnel to safely conduct carry outs. At 4:05 p.m., the rescue at Cascade Brook began carrying Reynolds down the trail in a litter, with a crew that was composed of Reynolds’s Family, Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team Members, Sugar Hill Police Department, and New Hampshire Conservation Officers.

Fortunately, the rescue on the Falling Waters Trail resolved quickly and the rescue personnel from the Falling Waters Trail were asked to cross the valley and assist with the carry out on the Cascade Brook Trail. Reynolds was carried down the Cascade Brook Trail to the Basin Cascade Trail and arrived safely at the Basin Parking Area at 5:51 p.m. She received medical treatment from Linwood Ambulance Service personnel and was transported to Littleton Regional Healthcare for further evaluation and care.

Conservation Officers would like to remind outdoor enthusiasts that a rescue effort requires a large group of people, with a longer backcountry carryout needing 30 or more rescuers to be conducted safely. Additionally, rescue in even semi-remote locations takes a long time. Make safe choices and be prepared this summer. For more information visit www.hikesafe.com.