Unprepared hikers will be billed after getting rescued in the White Mountains

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 17, 2026

Four unprepared hikers from New Jersey will be billed after they needed to get rescued in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. The four, all 18, set out about 3:30 p.m. Friday to hike Franconia Ridge in Franconia. They didn’t pack headlamps nor enough food and water for an up to 9-hour hike. By 8:48 p.m., they called for help, saying one member of the party was struggling to breathe and had sore legs and they were low on food and water. “Due to the hiker’s lack of preparation, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department intends to bill the hikers for the cost of the rescue,” the department said.