2 Hikers Found Alive After Being Stuck in Snow Overnight. Getting Them Warm Enough to 'Move on Their Own' Took an Hour

Two hikers sustained cold weather injuries after they got stuck in the snow on a mountain in freezing conditions  — and the process of finding them took hours.

Kathryn McKee, 51, and her hiking partner Beata Lelacheur, 54, set off to summit Mount Washington in New Hampshire on Sunday, Feb. 2, according to CBS affiliate WBZ-TV and NBC affiliate WCSH.

"It started like any other hike, we were out on the trail by 7:30 a.m.," McKee told WBZ.

The pair intended to hike Mount Monroe and Mount Jefferson that day, but soon, they were overwhelmed by snow, 50-60 mph winds, and freezing weather.

“What would happen is we were walking along and then we'd dip, and then you're chest-high. And a couple times our snowshoes would get stuck on the spruce trees and you have no way of getting them out," McKee continued.

Related: Family of 5 Rescued from Freezing Colo. Mountain After Becoming Stranded and Calling 911

“I lost functionality in my fingers," McKee added. "I couldn't feel and I couldn't use them. I couldn't open the Ziploc bag to get an emergency blanket out."

Around 6 p.m., they called 911, and the New Hampshire Fish and Game was alerted about the stranded hikers, per the agency’s news release. Once on the phone with the NH Fish and Game, officials determined the lost hikers were only 34 feet from the trail and attempted to help them get back on the path.

"Over the next two hours, McKee and Lelacheur fought through chest-deep snow and 'spruce traps' (holes created in the snow underneath trees) to try to regain the trail," officials wrote. "They ended up on the trail several times but could not follow it as it had been completely erased by wind and snow."

Finally, it was determined that they needed assistance, so the two hikers were instructed to "huddle up in the snow to keep warm" until help arrived.

Related: Hiker Survived Frigid Night After Falling Down Mountain By Clinging to Tree

Rescue operations began around 8:30 p.m. — and by 11 p.m., there were nine highly skilled rescuers on the summit. Still, as of 1:20 a.m. the follow day, the women hadn't been located.

The crews then went to the hikers' last known location, but their progress was slow “due to the tremendous effort required to break trail in the deep snow.” Finally, thirty minutes later, the women were located "alive and coherent."

Immediately, emergency shelters were assembled to warm the women. Even so, officials said the "warming process took an hour, but by approximately 3:00 AM the hikers had been brought back to a point of being able to move on their own."

When they finally reached the base of the mountain over an hour later, the hikers were evaluated by Twin Mountain Ambulance staff. One woman was subsequently transported to the Littleton Regional Hospital for further evaluation and treatment of cold weather injuries.

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Although this story ended up having a happy ending, officials went on to issue a warning.

"Both hikers were prepared and had winter hiking experience, but ultimately encountered unforeseen conditions. Had they not had the amount of gear with them that they did, it is unlikely that they would have survived until rescuers reached them," NH Fish and Game wrote. "Although technology and experience is certainly helping to find people more quickly, the fact remains that Mother Nature has the final say, and preparedness, above all, is the difference between life and death in the mountains of New Hampshire."

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