Chance encounter on the trail gets assistance to hiker in distress

June 5, 2024  |  By Waterbury Roundabout 

Camel's Hump April sunset. Photo by Gordon Miller

A chance encounter on a Camels Hump trail on Tuesday resulted in a hiker in distress getting assistance from Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team which was having difficulty determining the hiker’s location. 

A call for help came in at 11:35 a.m. for a dehydrated hiker “one mile from the summit of Camels Hump,” according to a rescue team press release. 

“Unfortunately, the GPS coordinates that were provided proved to be highly inaccurate due to a poor cell phone connection,” the report said. “These coordinates placed the patient well off Camels Hump.”

Rescuers were unable to call the hiker back due to poor cell coverage. The rescue team was assembled but unable to respond due to the lack of accurate information on the location. 

That’s where the chance encounter comes in. 

At 12:50 p.m., Scott Baumwald EMT with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation came upon the hiker in distress on the trail and immediately contacted Waterbury Backcountry Rescue with accurate information regarding the patient’s condition and location.

With fluids provided by Baumwald and another individual hiking the trail who had passed through earlier, the 20-year-old female hiker from Pennsylvania was able to eventually stand and hike downhill with assistance, the rescue team reported. 

Baumwald and the hiker met the backcountry team down the trail just after 2:30 p.m. and assisted her to a waiting ATV. She was driven the remainder of the way down the mountain where she declined further medical attention, the report states. 

“We are very lucky that Scott Baumwald was an EMT and after accidentally coming upon the hiker, knew exactly what to do and who to call for rescue,” said Eric LaRose, team leader for Waterbury Backcountry Rescue. 

Rescue team members remind hikers to always bring along adequate fluids, food and clothing when headed out on the trails. They also emphasize that cell phone coverage in the backcountry can be very limited or non-existent, and nobody should count on their cell phone working in the time of need.