02/14/2026
I have done that hike in summer and still needed my winter jacket when we made it above the treeline.
In the early hours of December 19, 2024, 28-year-old Patrick Bittman set out alone to complete the Franconia Ridge loop overnight, hoping to reach the summits of Little Haystack, Lincoln, and Lafayette in time to watch the sunrise. Conditions at the trailhead seemed manageable, but above the tree line, the mountain transformed into a brutal landscape of deep snow, ferocious winds, and vanishing trails which slowed Bittman to a crawl and pushed him into dangerous territory. “The wind is primordial, not a roar, but a deep, unceasing, guttural back-of-the-throat growl,” the 28-year-old wrote. Still, he pressed on. Finally, a realization cut through his mental fog—unless he made strategic decisions right away, he would freeze to death on this mountain. He thought of his friends and family, how he’d be letting them down if he never made it home. None of them even knew where he was out hiking. But when he finally decided to turn back, it was too late.
Find out how his rescue mission unfolded at the link. https://bit.ly/3ZijlRd
📸: Pemi SAR volunteers reached Bittman first, warming him until the helicopter arrived. / Courtesy photo
