WCSH-TV5 • October 12, 2020
Twice in the last week, climbers have lost their lives on Katahdin. One was a man who fell 50 feet while climbing with his nephew, he died later at the hospital. Another younger man died at Baxter Peak the next day. "Typically we have one to two helicopter rescues in a year, this was…the sixth or seventh," says Baxter State Park director Eben Sypitkowski. In fact, a Maine National Guard helicopter was called to Katahdin three times, last week, the third call was for a 13-year-old boy who was rescued after having a medical emergency. Sypitkowski wants to remind all hikers that you should always prepare to spend more time on the mountain than you anticipate, especially this time of year.