Helicopter on Monadnock

[erugs]

We hiked Monadnock last Sunday. We hiked up Pumpelly and down Dublin and then walked the road back to our car at the Pumpelly trailhead. We saw the usual numbers of people on the summit and the typical assortment of planes circling around it. There was also a helicopter circling around, which, alone, wasn't all that unual, but as we were on our way down we saw that the helicopter looked as though it had landed along the Pumpelly Trail. A short while later it took off and we saw it flying to and fro for a while afterwards. Have any of you seen anything like that there? I was wondering if it was practice for future emergencies on the mountain, such as the moonlight climber who had a heart attack there a week earlier. Just wondering...

 

[brianW]

In the past the DART helicopter (Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital) has landed on parts of Monadnock to pick up hikers suffering medical emergencies. Last spring was the last one that I know of. Their bird is white and green. The other closest hospital with a helicopter is UMass Medical in Worcester, MA and their birds are silver and maroon.

I used to live (til this past summer) a few miles south of Monadnock and could see the mountain. I never really saw any military helicopters in the area doing what I would consider "traing manuvers"

 

[erugs]

The "bird" we saw was bright yellow. It didn't look as large as the helicopters I've seen land at Manchester hospitals. I couldn't see any identifying marks on it, and wouldn't you know, it was the one day none of us had brought along binos.

 

[hardyb]

What time was this? I was on Monadnock last Sunday from 9:30 am until 2:30 pm and didn't see anything. I have seen the DART helicopter land along the white dot trail in the past.

 

[erugs]

You left too early. We were on the summit around 3:00, I think. Not only did you miss seeing the helicopter, but you missed the circus of us trying to light birthday candles on a whopee pie.

 

[Andrew]

That chopper was trespassing- it was nothing official, unless permission was asked of the wrong state agency and word not passed to park personnel. An effort was made to contact local airport with radio to aircraft ability- but both Keene and Silver Ranch were closed.
I couldn't help but think maybe the chopper was hired by someone from the deceased gentlemans family to see where he died. There is a recognized helicopter LZ near where they landed, it was impossible to utilize due to ice conditions on Wed morning.

 

[erugs]

Thanks for the info, Andrew. We thought it was unusual, but also interesting.