ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, Maine — A Mount Desert Island resident who a park ranger described as “tough as nails” injured her ankle while hiking and then crawled for seven hours before being rescued by searchers Wednesday evening.
Ranger Richard Rechholtz said Thursday morning that the woman was hiking alone on Mansell Mountain on the western side of MDI around noon Wednesday when she fell and hurt her ankle. Rechholtz said the woman is 57 year old and lives in the Tremont village of Bass Harbor, but he declined to release her name.
The woman was on a rocky section of trail when she fell to the ground and hurt herself, he said. She was properly dressed for the weather and was wearing crampons over her hiking shoes for better traction, Rechholtz said. She had told her friends and family where she was going hiking and what time she expected to be back.
“She did things right,” Rechholtz said. “She’s tough.”
It was a friend who found the woman’s car, parked at the pump station at the southern end of Long Pond, at 5:30 p.m. and notified police that the woman was missing. Police patched her call through to the Acadia park rangers, who mobilized a search, according to Rechholtz.
Six members of the emergency response group Mount Desert Island Search and Rescue joined 11 Acadia park rangers to search the trails around Mansell Mountain. Because they knew the woman was familiar with the park’s trails, searchers did not think the hiker had been delayed and sidetracked by darkness, the ranger said.
After the searchers fanned out, they found the woman around 7:30 p.m. on Cold Brook Trail, about a mile from where she had injured herself but not far from her parked car, Rechholtz said. She was not hypothermic when she was rescued.
“What she ended up doing was crawling,” he said. “She crawled for like seven hours. She couldn’t walk. She couldn’t put any weight on [her ankle].”
Rechholtz credited the MDI Search and Rescue group with helping to find the woman fairly quickly. If the woman had been higher up Mansell Mountain, it likely would have taken much longer to carry her out, he said.
“We were lucky,” Rechholtz said. “If we don’t have the people to pull off a rescue, it ain’t going to happen.”
Rescuers carried the woman out to her car in a litter and, by about 8:15 p.m., had loaded her into a Southwest Harbor-Tremont ambulance to be taken to Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth, the ranger said. He said Thursday morning that he did not know whether she was still at the hospital or had been released.
Follow BDN reporter Bill Trotter on Twitter at @billtrotter.
glad for a happy ending. preperations sometimes pay off huge
A happy end to something that could have been tragic. This shows why it’s so important, no matter how experienced you are and how well you know your route, to let others know where you are and when to expect you back. This lady obviously knew what she was doing, but accidents happen to everyone, and it was her foresight which saved her from spending a freezing and possibly fatal night alone in the woods.
Kudos also to the Rangers and the Search and Rescue team for their response. Great job and a great ending!
Second may I add, if you are going to be hiking in rugged terrain as this lady was, you never hike alone. I would dare say that the next time she heads into the mountains, one of her friends will be with her. As for cell service, I don’t know if they have availability in that area, probably not.
Nonetheless, this was a very good outcome which could of ended very diffently. A tribute to her dressing for the weather, telling friends where she was going and what time she would be back.
Most important, she was conditioned physcially to do the hike and with stand mother nature which can be harsh at times.
I have found the cell service to be very good in the Notch and down to the Mill Pond as well as on the mountain.
Where in the article did it mention a cell phone?
Nice job Rangers and MDI Search and Rescue. I have seen them in action in the past with an injured hiker and they are the best!
“She did things right.” I beg to differ. Hiking alone in winter, especially without the availability of cell phone reception, is not “right” in my book. Great that she was rescued. My concern is that this “happy ending” will prompt other, less experienced folks to think it’s okay to do this. It isn’t; it put rescuers at risk and made them unavailable for others, cost her friends unnecessary concern, and could have just as easily ended badly if not for the “luck” that the ranger correctly noted. Nature, although beautiful, is not usually as forgiving. Next time, bring a friend.
Anytime rescuers go out they are unavailable for other rescues, you statement makes no sense. I definitely agree with the experts on this one, she did the right thing. Somebody knew where she was hiking, they knew when to expect her return so when she didn’t return they called it in. It may be better to hike with a friend, but is not always available or necessary, let us be realistic.
For crying out loud–A lot of women are the toughest species on earth, tho not all of them—Some of us like to do our thing by ourselves. All of us don’t need someone to pull us along.Some times accidents do happen, rather your alone or with someone. Why would you think the rescue team was put at risk? She was a mile away,and had done everything correctly before she left. So what do you see as a problem here?—I hope she’s up and going and ready to roll!—
Weeellll, perhaps the problem was that she actually did need help getting out alive. Do all the things you want by yourself but this wasn’t an accident. This was a predictable outcome to an unsafe event whose repetition outran its odds of happening. By the way “your” alone is actually, you’re alone………… But don’t fret, lots of others in earlier posts used it wrong, too. Guess you missed those lessons being tough.
Go crawl inside YOUR little bubble!
i’m not sure that crawling for 7 hours in the dark/cold will prompt less experienced hikers to think it’s a good idea….
She told someone where she was going and when she expected to be back. It’s ludicrous to expect someone not to go hiking just because nobody else wants to go. Besides, sometimes you just want to be alone on a hike. She did everything right.
take a chill pill. If we all worried all the time. We would sit on our couch and die. Not everyone can take someone everywhere with them. Hiking with proper gear, clothing and contacts to your whereabouts and arrival/departure times are all PERFECT!! Accidents happen. Great story!!
So you advocate we sit inside and get obese all winter? I think that’s a much bigger health & safety risk than taking a hike while “properly dressed for the weather and wearing crampons”. Also she was prepared to crawl out or die trying. That my friend is preparedness.
She did the right thing, we cant always have the luxury of having a partner to go with us , so she let friends or family know where she went and when she would be back ! She sounds like a very tough lady, thats a very good trait to have !
Wait. Where are all the posts that if we had a big ugly cell phone tower this never would have happened?
You need to get out more….for years I have traveled the whole Allagash waterway canoeing and never had service, which they do in some areas now, but not all. Why do you think they have rangers with cells, but also satilite radios and two way radios, and Ranger stations along the inland waters of Maine.
Also, if you become lost, stay put, if you have wine or beer with you save it for the celebration when the search party finds you….you will have cause to celebrate in surviving some of the most rugged and remote areas of Maine,
IF YOU TOLD SOMEONE WHERE YOU WERE GOING.
***Also, it is a good thing to leave a note in your vehicle letting others know where you will be…sometimes when we are traveling to an area we are going to hike, we change our minds along the way and head into another area different than we had originally told someone, realizing that no cell service is avaiable to notify them of your changes.
Professionally guiding for over 40 years in six states and five Canadian Provinces have taught me and my clients to always be prepared for the unexpected.
This 57 year old Bass Harbor woman did everything right…but crawling for seven hours is dangerous…only a mile from where she was injured when they found her…
Injured, or realizing that your lost, stay put, build a fire, it becomes a friend, keeps you warm and a signaling tool.
REMEMBER…the most important tool you have in survival….is between your ears…your brains, use them….STOP in survival means…S – Stop, T – Think, O – Observe and P – Plan…
Hypothermia is the number one killer in the outdoors….What a great outcome and story that she will beable to share with her grandchildren.
Bring a ham radio.
Disagree. If you know exactly where you are going and know you can make it, why not? It doesn’t specify the distance but says she was “not far” from her car. In fact, in this case, staying on the move probably kept her warm.
That’s what I was thinking…Crawling for 7 hours would keep anyone from being hypothermic…
true they also need one in baxter, as soon as you leave the dam your dead and its dangerous
She did things the correct way, good for her. And a big thanks to the Rangers and Rescue crews. She is indeed “tough as nails”
A handy piece of equipment to carry while hiking is a bandana or a scarf. Each of these items could be used as an ankle bandage so you will be able to walk if you twist an ankle. This is something that I used to teach as a Girl Scout leader & have used it on myself & others with good effect. Something to think about.
Wow! As boy scouts we were taught to carry a hacksaw and remove the broken limb and carry on. Times change.
Maine girl survived. Tough as nails in deed.
SHe has only lived in Maine for 55 years after he family moved here from MA. So she still is from MA according to our Maine rules.
…..
Tough lady, good to know ended well.
Got to love the effort by the Southwest Harbor police. 7:30 at night. It was dark. It was cold. So the SWHPD patched through the call to the Park and called it a night.
She was IN the park, which means SWHPD did exactly as they were supposed to do. I’ve called my local PD (NOT SWHPD, but still on the island) to report something going on on a park road by my home, and been directed to call the Park Headquarters. It’s procedure.
Never Hike Alone! Good thing she told others where she was and when she would be finished hiking…Glad she is okay!
Agreed, venturing out into the wilderness should never be done alone, you should also ensure friends know your planned route & when you plan to return.
In Reference to the comments that we should stay in cell service range … What would we have done if this happened well before cell phones came out? Just wondering? I agree with letting someone know where you are going and when you plan on returning though… I am thankful that she was rescued though.
This woman should watch the movie “Touching the void” I bet she will get a big kick out of Joe and Simon’s mountain adventure.
Here is proof positive why better cell coverage on Mount Desert Island is a good thing.
Wow, nice job for everyone involved. The title of this article makes it sound like she should have died because she was 57 years old. What does age have to do with anything these days. Did you ever notice they usually put the age of women, not men? The other article about the Belfast doctor……gave his title, not age?? How about this womens title and leave her age out of the picture. Not that I really care, just saying it’s kind of interesting what the media wants to bring attention to.
Nice Job by Rangers and MDI SAR, the Rangers using resources and giving credit for help shows how professional they are. In addition the patient did a proper job of letting others know where she was going, and the friend that followed up was important. Nice job on treatment you can see in the photos as well. Good Job All.
Doc Bowie
DEEMI Search and Rescue
Isn’t there a hospital right on MDI???????
Bring tape. Strong tape. Duct, athletic, or medical tape will do. There are plenty of sticks to use in the woods for splints.
That should make the crawl quicker, or more comfortable.
Hiking poles would have possibly prevented the accident, and would have helped get back even if injured. They are great for rough terrain. It is almost like having four legs. Also a great upper body workout, and helps get up and down the mountain.