Hiker Suffering from Unknown Medical Condition Rescued from the Perch Shelter

CONTACT:
Lieutenant Mark Ober
603-788-4850
August 17, 2025

Low & Burbank’s Grant, NH – On Sunday morning, August 17, 2025, at approximately 8:30 a.m., NH Fish and Game was notified of a hiker suffering from a medical incident at the RMC Perch shelter. The condition was concerning enough to warrant a call to the National Guard for a helicopter extract. The Perch shelter is 3.6 miles from the closest road, and the time it would take to hike crews up, place the victim in a litter, and carry him back down would have been a multi-hour effort.

An Army National Guard helicopter arrived on station at 12:00 p.m. The helicopter lowered a paramedic who provided immediate treatment and secured the patient in a litter. The patient, the patient’s father, who is a medical doctor, and the paramedic were all safely hoisted into the helicopter. They were then flown to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin.

Due to the increasing cloud cover that might have prevented a helicopter evacuation, Conservation Officers had started hiking up earlier, and a call was made for volunteers from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue (AVSAR).

The hiker, identified as Torulf Hinckley, 24, of Chicago, IL, had hiked up to the Perch Shelter on Saturday with family members without incident. They had intended to spend the night at the Perch. During the night he suffered from a medical episode that continued throughout the night, early morning, and late morning. Hinckley was prepared with all the ten essentials recommended for a hike in the White Mountains and did possess a Hike Safe card.