A man was taking photos with his wife on the summit of a scenic New Hampshire mountaintop when he fell and tumbled to his death, state officials say.
The husband and wife were hiking in Crawford Notch State Park on Saturday, Dec. 10 and made their way to the top of Mt. Willard — a popular destination in the park offering panoramic views of the surrounding forest — around 10:30 a.m.
While they were snapping pictures to commemorate the moment, the wife heard a yell and turned to see her husband slip off a cliff jutting 800 feet above the ground below, officials said.
“Due to the icy conditions and steepness of the terrain the hiker’s wife called 911 for assistance,” the release said.
Conservation officers and specialized mountain rescue crews made their way to the summit and rappelled down the side of the cliff with ropes and harnesses, photos show.
They found the man at 2:30 p.m., officials said. He was dead, having plummeted roughly 300 feet from the summit.
Crews lifted his body to the top and carried it to the trailhead parking lot, the release said.
Crawford Notch, a nearly 5,800 acre state park boasting hiking trails, fishing, waterfalls, wildlife and “spectacular mountain views,” is 96 miles northeast of Concord.
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