Stranded Hiker Atop Bigelow Mountain Rescued

A multi-agency rescue operation involving the Maine Warden Service and the Maine Air National Guard successfully saved a 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman who became severely hypothermic while hiking the Appalachian Trail atop Bigelow Mountain during an unseasonable April snowstorm.

Monday night, April 20, the Maine Warden Service received an urgent call from David Piccioni, 35, of Cumbola, Pennsylvania. Piccioni reported that his hiking partner, Anna Troxell, 24, of Drums, Pennsylvania, was in critical condition on the trail between West Peak and Avery Peak. Troxell was exhibiting classic signs of severe hypothermia: slurred speech, blue lips, loss of muscle coordination, and instability while walking.

Conditions on the mountain were brutal. A recent storm had dropped 3 to 5 inches of fresh snow, and temperatures hovered in the mid-teens. The pair were stranded in exposed, high-elevation terrain, making a self-rescue impossible.Game Wardens quickly coordinated with the Eustis Fire Department, local EMS, and search-and-rescue volunteers. A ground team began ascending the steep, 4.5-mile Fire Warden Trail from Stratton Brook Pond Road around 10:45 p.m. Additional teams mobilized to provide support.

Rescuers reached the hikers shortly before 2 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21. They immediately began life-saving warming measures under harsh summit conditions, wrapping both hikers in heavy sleeping bags, providing warm fluids, and building a fire. Photos from the scene show the two hikers being cared for beside the fire as snow continued to fall. Despite initial efforts, Troxell’s condition continued to worsen. Concerned about the risks of a lengthy ground evacuation over snow-covered, treacherous terrain, the lead rescue team made the decision to halt the other approaching teams and request aerial assistance from the Maine Air National Guard.

At approximately 6:45 a.m., a Black Hawk helicopter successfully hoisted both Troxell and Piccioni from the mountain. They were flown to Carrabassett Valley Regional Airport, where Maine Health Ambulance Services personnel provided on-scene treatment for severe hypothermia. After evaluation and treatment, both hikers refused further medical transport and were released.

All rescue personnel safely returned to the trailhead by around 10 a.m.

The operation highlighted the dangers of hiking in Maine’s mountains during shoulder seasons, when rapid weather changes can turn a challenging trek into a life-threatening emergency.