Photo: Getty
New Hampshire Fish and Gameannounced Mondaythat Xi Chen, 53, of Andover, Massachusetts, had “died of his injuries” he sustained while attempting a “Presidential Range traverse” in the White Mountains on Saturday.
Chen was rescued from Gulfside Trail after telling his wife via text message “that he was cold and wet and could not continue on” with his hike, according to a pair ofnews releasesfrom the department.
The victim was transported to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin (AVH), where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries after “life-saving efforts were attempted for several hours,” officials said.
Wife Lian Liu toldNBC Bostonand ABC affiliateWCVBthat her late husband was an avid hiker and was attempting to climb all of New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot peaks.
“He’s not a quitter, that probably actually got him into trouble this time,” Liu said to NBC Boston.
She described Chen as a man who loved his family, job and life.
“He had so many plans ahead of him,” Liu told the outlet. “Unfortunately this happened.”
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Chen’s wife reached out to Fish and Game around 6:30 p.m. Saturday evening to request help for her husband, according to the department’s initial new release.
The woman claimed that her husband was unable to continue with his hike after becoming “cold and wet” and feared he would die without help, officials said.
Fish and Game described conditions along the Presidential Range on Saturday as “treacherous” due to “freezing temperatures, rain, sleet, snow, and winds gusting over 80 mph.”
“Even if you were prepared for winter, those conditions would have been challenging,” Mancini told WCVB.
Liu told NBC Boston that she first received texts from her husband around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, telling her “In trouble…can’t move.” After asking him if she should call for help, he replied, “Yes, could die.”
Liu also shared the couple’s text conversation with WCVB, which said Chen wrote at one point, “If I stop moving, then in trouble.”
Liu told NBC Boston that her husband eventually stopped responding to her messages. “I text him, call or text 911 so they’ll know where you are from your phone. No response,” she said.
The crew carried Chen “over a mile up to the summit of Mt. Washington” and placed the victim in a truck that was driven “to the base where the Gorham Ambulance was waiting,” officials said.
Chen was transported to AVH around 1:30 a.m., per Sunday’s release. He later succumbed to his injuries.
Officials “received multiple calls” on Saturday “from hikers who were cold, wet, and calling for rescues,” Fish and Game said. Many of those requesting help were at “high elevation summits and ridgelines” along the Presidential Range, similar to Chen.
However, the department said Chen’s situation warranted “immediate” action “due to the dire nature” of the call.
Mancini told WCVB that Mount Washington “can be very challenging” to climb, no matter the weather conditions.
“It’s a brutal place,” he explained, adding, “It’s the home of some of the worst weather in the world and, on Saturday, it lived up to its reputation.”
source: people.com
