A 28-year-old Portland, Maine, man was rescued

FRANCONIA, N.H. – A 28-year-old Portland, Maine, man was rescued Thursday after becoming stranded and hypothermic near the summit of Little Haystack Mountain in Franconia Notch. Conservation officers said they received a 911 call at 8:15 a.m. from Patrick Bittman, 28, of Portland, Maine, who reported he was unable to move through deep snow and was suffering from frozen limbs and hypothermia. Officials said temperatures in the area were in the 20s with winds exceeding 30 mph and snow squalls. Rescue teams, including conservation officers and the Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team, began their ascent on the Falling Waters Trail around 10 a.m. They reached the hiker by 1 p.m. and found him “extremely hypothermic.” Rescuers provided warm, dry clothing, fluids, and set up a shelter. Due to heavy cloud cover, an Army National Guard helicopter could not reach the hiker until 3 p.m. By 3:15 p.m., he was airlifted to Littleton Regional Healthcare for treatment.