Crew finds stranded New Hampshire hiker who took to Facebook to seek help

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Rescue crews have located a hiker who took to Facebook to seek help when high wind blew away his map and compass and left him stranded on a New Hampshire mountain.

New Hampshire Fish and Game said they found the 25-year-old man Friday evening. The hiker had set off 2 a.m. Friday intending to summit Mt. Lafayette.

The hiker sent an emergency text and published a Facebook post seeking help Friday morning.

The hiker told officers he approached Mt. Lafayette’s summit around 7 a.m. but tried to turn back due to bad weather.

The hiker said high winds and limited visibility overtook him, and it took him three hours to find trail markers. He eventually took cover in a snow cave.

Conservation officers guided the hiker out to a trailhead.