BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 20, 2024
Patrick Bittman, 28, of Portland, set off alone Wednesday evening to watch the sunrise from Mount Lafayette in the White Mountains. Near the top of Franconia Ridge, Bittman encountered deep and blowing snow, but when he decided to turn back, he couldn’t find the trail and descended into the Dry Brook drainage. Bittman called for help about 8:15 a.m. Thursday when he could no longer move through the deep snow because his limbs froze and he became hypothermic. By 3 p.m., the clouds lifted, allowing the Army National Guard to reach Bittman by helicopter and lower a medic to assist him and hoist him before the clouds moved back in. Bittman was immediately flown to Littleton Regional Healthcare.