Hiker injury points to need for special winter precautions

GILFORD — With the rains of Christmas Day having washed away most of the snow, hikers are once again taking to the trails around the area. But extra precautions are still in order, according to the town’s fire chief.

Firefighters had to rescue a hiker who injured his knee as he and a companion were coming down a trail on Piper Mountain.

The hiker, Tim Kahlman of Lowell, Massachusetts, fell when he slipped on some ice or snow. He told firefighters that he had not put on microspikes — chains and small spikes that slip over footwear for added traction.

“They help on icy surfaces, Fire Chief Stephen Carrier said.

Kahlman was injured as he and his partner, Julie Pinard, of Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, were walking down the Piper Mountain Trail in the area of the Whiteface Trail on Sunday shortly after 12:45 p.m.

Firefighters used an off-highway vehicle to get two-thirds the distance up the mountain to where Kahlman was. Seven firefighters climbed the rest of the way to reach the injured man. It then took 30 minutes to carry Kahlman down to the utility vehicle. That vehicle took another 13 minutes to bring him to where the ambulance was parked.

Kahlman was then taken by ambulance to Lakes Region General Hospital in Laconia for evaluation and treatment.

Kahlman is scheduled to have knee surgery next week, Pinard said in an email Wednesday.

Many hikers were out on the trail Sunday, Carrier said.

“There were a lot of people coming and going,” he said.

He said those who hike during the winter need to be prepared for the variable conditions that often exist in the area. While the ground at the foot of the mountain may be bare, it is common to encounter snow packs and icy conditions further up the mountain.