Nashua residents Phaneendra Uppalapati, 44, and Shirisha Mallala, 41, had a close call on the stormy evening of Aug. 19 as they descended from the summit of the tallest peak in the Northeast.

According to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, at 5:30 p.m., a group of hikers notified the staff at Mt. Washington State Park that Uppalapati and Mallala had “slowed down significantly and may be in need of assistance.”

At the time, a cold, steady rain was being driven by winds gusting to 58 miles per hour. As the weather continued to worsen, the windchill fell to 29 degrees.

A State Park staff member set off in search of Uppalapati and Mallala and found the two hikers a half mile below the summit at the Lion Head Trail junction. Uppalapati and Mallala had become “extremely wet and cold” despite being found in less than an hour.

The rescuer, whose identity has not been released, immediately provided the hikers with warm, dry clothes and tried to keep them moving. However, by 6:30 p.m. it was clear that additional assistance would be needed.

Members of the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team responded to the distress call from their location on the summit. They were also joined by personnel from New Hampshire State Parks. Uppalapati and Mallala were then helped back to the summit where they driven down the mountain via the Mt. Washington Auto Road.

Mallala was taken by Gorham Ambulance to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin to be treated for “cold weather injuries.”

In addition to rescuing the two Nashua hikers, crews were out in the elements until 1:15 a.m. as two hikers from Maryland were in need of assistance.

Conservation Officer Matthew Holmes provided a possible explanation for the increased number of distress calls that night.

“Mt. Washington and the surrounding areas were experiencing weather seasonally common to the region but unexpected by many outdoor enthusiasts. The area received more than an inch and half of rain, driven by high winds and fall-like temperatures,” he said. “These conditions certainly caught people off-guard, and resulted in the ensuing rash of calls. People venturing out into the backcountry, even in August, are reminded to pack for survival situations, thoroughly research weather and trail conditions and be prepared with gear and knowledge to self-rescue when things get bad.”

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