Distressed New Jersey Hiker Helped Down White Mountain Trail

LINCOLN, NH — New Hampshire Fish & Game Department was notified of a hiker in distress on the Liberty Springs Trail in Lincoln on Sunday.

The hiker was not able to continue descending the trail and a companion with her called 911 for help. The hikers were only planning a day hike and did not have the equipment to spend the night.

Conservation Officers and volunteers with the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue team responded to mount a rescue effort as darkness approached. A conservation officer met the hiker, at about 6 p.m., and she was slowly hiking down, about one mile from the trailhead.

The distressed hiker was identified as Aleeza Shaikh, 26, from Jersey City, NJ.

A group of Good Samaritan hikers also descending the trail came across Aleeza, who was laying in the trail at the time, and provided her help to start moving again. Aleeza was able to hike the rest of the way down the trail with minor assistance, accompanied by a small rescue party.

She reached the Liberty Springs parking lot without further incident at 7 pm. Due to the inaccurate planning and inadequate equipment of the hiker, the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department will be recommending she be billed for this preventable rescue.

Fish and Game, in a statement, reminded people that hiking in the White Mountains can be extremely challenging and quickly become dangerous, even deadly, especially in winter conditions. People often underestimate the time required to complete a mountain hike in snowy and icy conditions. It is also easy to be deceived by trail distances, as hiking 4 miles on flat ground does not require nearly as much energy as hiking 4 miles in steep terrain.

Conservation Officers would also like to remind everyone to plan for a safe hike and give plenty of time. Always bring dedicated lights, even on a day hike.

For info, visit hikesafe.com/ for more information.