Backcountry rescue teams log multiple recent mountain rescues

July 8, 2025  |  By Lisa Scagliotti

Photo courtesy of Stowe Mt. Rescue

Just before 10 p.m. on Sunday, search and rescue teams from Waterbury and Stowe responded to Hunger Mountain to rescue a hiker injured in a fall. 

Waterbury Backcountry Rescue and Stowe Mountain Rescue teams headed out in what they described as “oppressive heat and humidity” after getting the call that a 62-year-old woman had fallen near the summit, injured her hip, and was unable to make it back down the trail. 

The hiker was brought to safety following a nearly five-hour effort by the two crews. 

“She had taken a significant fall, then bounced down exposed ledges in the trail,” Waterbury Backcountry Rescue member Brian Lindner explained in the incident report. 

The two rescue teams combined efforts for what was a nearly five-hour effort in darkness. A total of 18 rescuers participated. In the toughest sections of the train, they used a series of rope belays to reach and transport the injured hiker. 

Upon reaching the base, the hiker was then transported by Waterbury Ambulance Service to Central Vermont Medical Center for evaluation of her injuries, report noted. 

Stowe Mountain Rescue also shared a report from this call on their Facebook page. They attest to the challenging weather conditions and the impact on the volunteers. 

“The heat was a challenging factor as we hiked up to the subject. Rescuer after rescuer arrived on scene drenched in sweat. Once we got the subject loaded into the litter, it was smooth sailing for the bulk of the way down, though it was a multi-hour carry and the ride got bumpier as we started to tire,” their report says. “One rescuer had created a water cache on the way up that we fell on gratefully when we came to it. We carry a lot of water, but many of us blew through our own supplies with the heat and the exertion.”

Both rescue teams emphasize to hikers the importance of carrying emergency supplies and plenty of water. 

Rescuers gather around the patient's litter before moving her into the awaiting ambulance via the gurney in the foreground. Photo courtesy of Waterbury Backcountry Rescue

Nighttime descent on Hunger Mountain. Photo courtesy of Stowe Mt. Rescue

“Given how dehydrated we got, it seems appropriate to mention that you should always carry more water than you think you’ll use – we did that yesterday and still ran dry,” the Stowe team noted. “We typically carry a means of purifying water on the hoof – either a chemical tablet or a handheld water filter. Keep in mind that in the summer streams run dry, so you can’t always rely on finding a water source.”

The Waterbury crew also emphasized the importance of heading out into the backcountry prepared for emergencies. That means carrying headlamps, food, water, and warm clothing, even when planning to just be out in daylight, they said. 

This was Waterbury Backcountry Rescue’s sixth call this year, Lindner noted. 

The Stowe team included a shout-out to their neighboring rescue colleagues: “Great to be back out with Waterbury Backcountry – our teams work beautifully together and it’s always a joy to be in the field with them.”

Mt. Mansfield rescue comes with fireworks 

Stowe Mountain Rescue crew members had a particularly busy weekend. In addition to Sunday night’s call on Hunger Mountain with their Waterbury counterparts, the Stowe team responded to a call for help on Mt. Mansfield late Saturday that didn’t wrap up until after dark. 

The bonus was getting to see a fireworks show on the way down the mountain. 

A summary of the call is posted on the group’s Facebook page, noted that the call was special for two reasons: First, it was “the inaugural outing for our fancy new Swedish Med-Tech vaccum mattress,” they wrote. “It’s lightweight (hooray!) and provides a comfortable, fitted and secure surface for our lucky subject.  We were very impressed with it and intend to use it on every mission from now on.”
The “subject” was a hiker who injured his ankle high on the Halfway House trail, the team explained. The hiker had the good fortune that the incident came while there was still daylight, and another hiker with mountain rescue experience came upon them and stopped to lend assistance. The passerby stuck with the injured party and joined the rescue team for the trip down the mountain, the rescue account details. 

“We were grateful and will never forget the experience of seamlessly integrating a stranger into our small team and it working so smoothly,” the report notes. 

The rescue involved hauling a litter up 200 vertical feet of a steep, narrow, rocky trail. The process was slow and coincided with the July 5 fireworks display below at Spruce Peak village. Before heading down the Toll Road, the rescue party took in the sight. 

“We stopped the trucks and piled out, gazing in awe until the finale. Guaranteed, no one down there enjoyed those fireworks as much as we did!” the report shares. 

Late-night rescue at the Waterbury Dam 

Another recent rescue call involved cooperation between Waterbury and Stowe search and rescue teams. 

Waterbury Backcountry Rescue was called out to a late-night rescue for canoeists at the Waterbury Dam on Friday, June 27. The call came at 11:20 p.m. that two canoeists had become stranded in darkness at the Waterbury Dam, according to a report from crew member Brian Lindner. 

The individuals were two men, ages 25 and 66, who had rented a canoe and paddled across the Waterbury Reservoir from the Waterbury Center State Park Day Use Area, the report stated. 

The pair had left with only one personal flotation device and no light – both items required by Vermont state law, the report noted. 

The Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team coordinated with a crew from Stowe Mountain Rescue, who responded with two boats. Rescuers were able to find the stranded canoeists through cellphone signals, and the Stowe boats proceeded to their location. 

All were returned to shore at the Waterbury Center state park by 1 a.m., the Waterbury team reported.