Experienced hiker found dead on New Hampshire Trail

The body of Christopher Roma, an experienced hiker, was recovered Thursday after he succumbed to the elements during a day hike in New Hampshire, officials said.

A resident of Thornton, NH, he headed to one of his favorite trails on Tuesday, just a few miles away in Lincoln.

Mr. Roma, who was 38, was well acquainted with the state's White Mountains, according to his voter registration, having climbed each of the 48 peaks over 4,000 feet, a feat known as NH 48.

But around 10 p.m., Mr. Roma knew he was in trouble.

The snow on parts of the trail was waist deep, temperatures were in the single digits and winds were increasing, according to a statement from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

Friends of Mr. Roma alerted emergency services after hearing from him that he had become stuck on a trail near Mount Bond, a peak about 60 miles north of Concord, and was in distress. Mr Roma himself called for help a short time later and informed rescuers that he was “very cold”, the statement said.

Rescuers from several agencies began a search for Mr. Roma at 2 a.m. Wednesday, but snow and wind slowed efforts and a call was made to the New Hampshire Army National Guard to request a helicopter. Guard members then made three attempts to reach the area but were hampered by poor visibility and low cloud.

By the time a rescue team reached the scene at 5pm, Mr Roma was already dead.

“While his family and friends are devastated by this loss, we take comfort in knowing that he died doing what he loved,” said a statement about an online fundraiser set up by Roma's friends.

The name of Mr. Roma's route — a nickname hikers use to refer to each other on long hikes — was Rafiki. He had completed the arduous “triple crown of hiking,” including the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, the country's three major long-distance trails.

He had also founded a company, North East Trekking Company, which helped others prepare for their own thousand-mile endeavors, according to the company's website.

This is evident from interviews given by his family The Associated PressMr. Roma had a 2-year-old son, Solomon.

Mr Roma's mother, Barbara Roma, said he had probably tried to improve his personal best time on a course that was very familiar to him, but found himself in “bizarre weather”.

“Once you get to a certain point, you have to make the choice to continue or turn back,” she said. “And he was never really a kid to back down.”