Chelmsford Police Sergeant Rescued From NH Hiking Trail

CHELMSFORD, MA — A Chelmsford police sergeant was rescued on a hiking trail in New Hampshire after suffering from an unknown medical condition five miles from the nearest road, New Hampshire Fish and Game said in a news release Sunday.

Fish & Game Conservation officers initially called the NH Army National Guard for a helicopter rescue Saturday afternoon for Sergeant Stephen Fredericks, 49, who was on the Carter-Moriah Trail near the summit of Mt. Moriah, according to officials.

But storms over the mountains forced the helicopter's cancellation, officials said. As a backup, a team of volunteer rescuers from Androscoggin Valley Search & Rescue—who were called at the same time as the rescue helicopter just in case—hiked the five miles to Fredericks, according to officials.

Upon arrival, volunteer rescuers, conservation officers, and the eight people with whom Fredericks was hiking carried him to the trailhead, from where he was taken to the hospital by ambulance at 12:35 a.m. Sunday, officials said.

Fredericks is an experienced hiker who had planned to hike the Carter Range from north to south with eight other hiking companions, according to officials. He was equipped all the appropriate gear as well as additional gear as he was planning an overnight hiking trip.