PERU — A Peru woman leading her church youth group and adults on a hike and geocaching adventure Saturday on Rumford Whitecap Mountain, fell near the summit and injured her left leg, requiring rescue.
Despite suffering a possible broken leg, Cathy Hazelton, 53, “scooched” her way down the 2,197-foot summit’s steep trail to an area reachable by all-terrain vehicles so rescuers wouldn’t have to hand-carry her, fellow hiker Anne Glazier said on scene.
“She scooched her way down through rabbit warrens and such because she didn’t want anyone to go out of their way for her,” Glazier said. “She scooched down the most treacherous, steep part of the trail.”
Hazelton, whose lower left leg was splinted by husband Bill Hine with wood from the trail and duct tape, was treated on the trail just over a mile in off East Andover Road by Rumford fire Lt. Rob Dixon and firefighter Mark Tripp.
Dixon and Tripp were the first of two rescue teams sent up the mountain from the staging area on East Andover Road by fire Chief Robert Chase after a dispatcher in Paris received the 911 call for help at 1:53 p.m. and sent Rumford firefighters and Med-Care Ambulance to the scene.
Chase then called in Newry fire Chief Bruce Pierce and manpower from Rumford, Mexico, Andover and Newry.
Hazelton was brought off the mountain by Andover firefighter Jim Adler using Andover Fire Department’s Polaris 500 Sportsmen ATV six-wheeler.
She declined treatment and a trip to Rumford Hospital by Med-Care, and instead was helped into the family car for the ride.
A nursing supervisor at the hospital said early Saturday evening that Hazelton was treated and released.
Hazelton and Hine are avid hikers and backpackers and long-time volunteer trail maintainers for the White Mountain National Forest and the Maine Appalachian Trail Club.
Glazier said Hazelton was leading the Peru Baptist Church’s Friends On A Mission youth group on a day hike and geocaching adventure up Rumford Whitecap.
Geocaching is a high-tech treasure-hunting game that adventure-seekers throughout the world play while equipped with GPS devices. The idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and share the experience online.
Glazier said the group reached the summit safely, but on the way down Hazelton slipped and fell.
“It was steep and kind of wet, because of all the rain we had this week,” Glazier said. “Duct tape saved the day. One of us had duct tape with us, because how can you live in the Western Mountains of Maine and not have duct tape?”
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- Andover firefighter Jim Adler carries injured hiker Cathy Hazelton of Peru off the Rumford Whitecap Trail on Saturday afternoon. Hazelton fell while descending the 2,197-foot summit and twisted her leg, fellow hiker Anne Glazier of Rumford said.
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- Rumford Whitecap hiker Cathy Hazelton of Peru fell Saturday while descending the 2,197-foot summit, shown on the upper trail on this map, at the trail head on the East Andover Road in Rumford.
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- During the start of Saturday’s rescue efforts to reach injured hiker Cathy Hazelton of Peru on Rumford Whitecap, Rumford fire Deputy Chief Chris Bryant, left, tells his second team of Rumford firefighters which of two trails to take up the 2,197-foot mountain.
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