Portsmouth hiker will 'understand' if he's billed for rescue: 'I'm alive because of them'

PORTSMOUTH — The head of New Hampshire Fish and Game’s Law Enforcement Division believes a Portsmouth hiker likely will be billed thousands of dollars after his 12-hour rescue last weekend from the western slope of Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeastern United States.

Col. Kevin Jordan, chief of the state agency’s law enforcement division since 2015, said the review process involving the rescue of 22-year-old engineer Cole Matthes last Saturday, Feb. 17 has only just begun. The on-scene commander from the mission must first review the circumstances and determine whether Matthes will be billed. If so, the recommendation is sent to Jordan, who would have to greenlight the billing, which he would then forward to the New Hampshire attorney general’s office for final approval.

Fish and Game conducts 180 to 190 rescue missions per year, according to Jordan. On average, about 12 of those incidents result in sending a bill.

Past missions similar to Matthes’ rescue have resulted in a bill in the range of $6,000 to $8,000, the chief noted.

“My expectation is in this case that he will be billed,” Jordan said Wednesday of Matthes’ rescue.

Fish and Game’s announcement of Matthes’ rescue said he made a series of “poor choices” that led to him calling emergency authorities. Matthes was hiking the 9-mile Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail loop, which leads to the summits of both Mount Washington and Mount Monroe.

Cole Matthes says he's 'grateful' for rescuers

“I am grateful for all of those who were involved with the response, not just those in the rescue party,” Matthes said Wednesday. “If they decide to charge me, I understand, and at the end of the day, I’m alive because of them. I’m in no position to complain.”

The effort to rescue Matthes required assistance from the Cog Railway and numerous rescue personnel. Conditions on Mount Washington during the course of the rescue included sustained winds of 90 mph, darkness and a wind chill as cold as -52 degrees Fahrenheit, Fish and Game said previously.

Matthes explained that before his fall, he had joined a group of fellow hikers and pressed on toward the summit of the giant mountain while others turned around.

“I had reached the Lakes in the Clouds Hut with a small group of hikers I had met on the trail below the tree line. When we got to the hut, a handful turned around because they had been up to the summit on winter hikes before and didn’t feel like continuing, but myself and two others continued,” he said in a written response to questions. “After about a mile of hiking along the ridge, my legs were feeling sore and I was feeling cold. We reached a split in the trail, which is where we decided to split. The other two continued to the summit (about 0.6 - 0.8 miles away) while I took the lower westside trail towards the Cog Railway, my intended path down. That’s where I drifted off the trail due to worsening visibility and ended up sliding down the slope after hitting a patch of ice.”

Matthes said he slipped a few hundred feet down the slope, twisting his ankle in the process while attempting to stop himself from descending further. He prevented himself from sliding deeper down with his spikes and one of his snowshoes, then called 911 around 11:50 a.m. to report he was injured.

Matthes placed a second call to 911 a while later in which he relayed that he had changed locations from his original coordinates and moved to an emergency shelter at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut.

“I spent around 3 hours on the slope after sliding and calling for rescue, then the weather improved and I had extended visibility,” he said. “I could see the shelter, so I determined that I could safely make my way up the ridge and over to the shelter.”

Rescuers on their way to his original coordinates at about 4,500 feet in elevation then diverted to the shelter, making contact with Matthes, who was experiencing hypothermia and was wearing frozen layers of clothing and boots, at roughly 6:15 p.m.

A second group of rescuers arrived afterwards and helped to warm up Matthes again, a process that took around three hours, per Fish and Game.

“The rescue crew arrived at The Cog Railway base station at approximately 10:50 p.m.,” Fish and Game’s news release about the incident reads. “Twin Mountain Ambulance was at the Base Station and initially treated Matthes for hypothermia and frostbite.”

Matthes refused to ride in an ambulance to a nearby hospital immediately after the rescue because he did not want to pay the ambulance charge for the trip. Fish and Game reported he was released to his vehicle at 11:38 p.m. Saturday.

The hiker received treatment at Portsmouth Regional Hospital after his rescue for frostbite on his toes and is recovering, he said.

“I did go to the hospital after being released back to my vehicle, I just didn’t want to take a ride in the ambulance because it is expensive and I was both physically and mentally able to drive,” he said.

'Don't hike alone'

Being billed for a rescue mission is not a criminal charge, Jordan stated. In his years leading Fish and Game’s Law Enforcement Division, only two hikers have been criminally charged following their rescue.

“Those two were outlandishly rescued so they deserved criminal charges. They lied to us in their report and it was outrageous behavior,” the chief explained.

Matthes said he is not planning to take on any winter hikes in the near future following his brush with Mother Nature’s wrath. When he returns to doing so, he intends to go on several guided hikes first before returning to a solo experience.

“I’m a fairly experienced hiker and have hiked a number of the 4,000-footers and other mountains in the region. I have hiked Mount Washington before. I should not have been hiking alone above the treeline, where the conditions were icy and the visibility was low. I am eternally grateful to the team who rescued me and anyone else involved with the rescue effort, and offer my sincerest apologies for the fact that my poor decisions caused them to risk their lives to save mine,” he said. "For prospective hikers, all I have to say is be prepared. Properly research the kind of cold weather gear required for these sorts of hikes. Don’t hike alone, and don’t push on if you’re uncertain.”

Jordan shared his concerns that Matthes continued on despite other hikers heading back down and that he didn’t have the proper gear and equipment.

The chief added the most extensive rescue operations in the past have led to bills between $30,000 and $40,000. But by billing for large-scale rescues, Jordan says it sends a message to hikers about considering weather, preparedness and putting goals of reaching the summit aside when conditions turn dangerous.

“We don’t do many,” Jordan said. “It’s got to be pretty outrageous for us to do it. Some of these missions cost a lot of money.”

Fish and Game does not charge for a mission in which a hiker died, or if a hiker is disabled.

“We bill for people with good common sense who chose to ignore the warnings and were not prepared,” Jordan said.

Mount Washington, home of the oft-described “world’s worst weather,” stands over 6,288 feet tall.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth hiker may be billed for Mt. Washington rescue