Experienced Hiker Found Dead on New Hampshire Trail
Christopher Roma called for help late Tuesday, telling rescuers he was “very cold.” An experienced hiker, he had completed the triple crown of America’s major trails.
Christopher Roma standing on a snowy footbridge in the woods, with Solomon sitting on his shoulders. Both are smiling and wearing puffy winter gear.
Christopher Roma and his son, Solomon, in 2023.Credit...Megan Roma Sullivan via Associated Press
Written by Claire Fahy
Jan. 20, 2024
The body of Christopher Roma, an experienced hiker, was recovered on Thursday after he succumbed to the elements on a day hike in New Hampshire, officials said.
A resident of Thornton, N.H., he took to one of his favorite trails on Tuesday just a few miles up the road in Lincoln.
Mr. Roma, who was 38, according to his voter registration records, was well versed in the state’s White Mountains, having hiked each of the 48 4,000-foot peaks, a feat known as the N.H. 48.
But by about 10 p.m., Mr. Roma knew he was in trouble.
Snow on parts of the trail was waist-deep, temperatures were in the single digits, and the wind was picking up, according to a statement from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
Friends of Mr. Roma’s alerted emergency services after hearing from him that he had gotten 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 while later, informing rescue workers that he was “very cold,” the statement said.
Image
A yellow and brown sign on the side of a road reads 'Lincoln Woods Trailhead' and 'White Mountain National Forest, U.S. Department of Agriculture.' There is snow all around the sign and on trees in the background.
The Lincoln Woods trailhead in Lincoln, N.H.Credit...Nick Perry/Associated Press
Image
A snowy footbridge over an icy creek between wooded areas.
The head of the trail where Mr. Roma died this week.Credit...Nick Perry/Associated Press
Rescuers from several agencies began a search for Mr. Roma at 2 a.m. on Wednesday, but snow and wind slowed the 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 stymied by poor visibility and low clouds.
By the time a rescue team on the ground reached Mr. Roma at 5 p.m., he was already dead.
“While his family and friends are devastated by this loss, we find comfort knowing that he died doing what he loved,” read a statement on an online fund-raiser set up by Mr. Roma’s friends.
Mr. Roma’s trail name — a moniker hikers use to refer to one another on long treks — was Rafiki. He had completed the arduous “triple crown of hiking,” which includes the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, the country’s three major long-distance trails.
He had also set up a business, North East Trekking Company, that helped others prepare for their own thousand-mile endeavors, according to the company’s website.
According to interviews his family gave to The Associated Press, Mr. Roma had a 2-year-old son, Solomon.
Mr. Roma’s mother, Barbara Roma, said he had probably been trying to beat his personal best time on a trail that was very familiar to him but got caught in “freak weather.”
“Once you get to a certain point, you have to make that choice to continue or turn back,” she said. “And he was never really a turning-back kind of kid.”
A Deadly Summer for Hikers in the Southwest
Aug. 1, 2023
Going Hiking? Don’t Forget These Safety Tips.
July 29, 2022
NEW
More to Discover
Expand to see more
Frantz Fanon, in the center of the second row, at his psychiatry clinic in Tunis, circa 1959.
BOOKS
When Violence Was What the Doctor Ordered
HEALTH
The Heart Surgery That Isn’t as Safe for Older Women
Christopher Roma and his son, Solomon, in 2023.
US
Experienced Hiker Found Dead on New Hampshire Trail
More in U.S.
Christopher Roma and his son, Solomon, in 2023.
US
Experienced Hiker Found Dead on New Hampshire Trail
SAVE FOR LATER
Try Something Different
Frantz Fanon, in the center of the second row, at his psychiatry clinic in Tunis, circa 1959.
Archives Frantz Fanon/Imec
BOOKS
When Violence Was What the Doctor Ordered
SAVE FOR LATER
Kaiti Sullivan for The New York Times
HEALTH
The Heart Surgery That Isn’t as Safe for Older Women
SAVE FOR LATER
Photo illustration by Tom Hodgkinson
MAGAZINE
The Lascivious, Decades-Long History Behind That Calvin Klein Ad
SAVE FOR LATER
Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Prince William, her husband, attending a Christmas Day service in Sandringham, England.
Kin Cheung/Associated Press
WORLD
Princess of Wales to Be Hospitalized for 10 Days After Abdominal Surgery
SAVE FOR LATER
Editors Picks
Let these lemon blueberry muffins be the hit of brightness you need this dreary winter.
DINING
The Trick to the Fluffiest Muffins May Already Be in Your Kitchen
SAVE FOR LATER
For more stories, return to home.
Claire Fahy reports on New York City and the surrounding area for The Times. She can be reached at claire.fahy@nytimes.com. More about Claire Fahy
Share full article
| |
