Citizens of Thornton, NH woke up to the devastating news of the death of well-known hiker Christopher Roma. Authorities revealed that the 37-year-old’s body was discovered by search and rescue officials a day after they received a distress call.

The worried hiker made a call to his friends first to alert them of his situation and then dialed 911 himself, as the night grew colder and more dangerous. They placed his location somewhere between Mount Bond and Mount Guyot, but the extreme winds and snow meant that no rescue operation could take place. By the time the search and rescue team made their way to him.

Initial rescue efforts were unsuccessful, National Guard brought in

At around 10:20pm, Christopher gave his friends a call, which immediately prompted them to alert the authorities. After getting his approximate coordinates, rescue operations commenced. By 2am, the first rescue mission was underway, but they had tough terrain to battle through. Temperatures were in the single digits and winds were blowing heavily.

With the snow coming up to their waists, they decided that the operation to rescue the hiker on foot will not be a successful one. They quickly informed the National Guard, who set out on three separate flights to search for the experienced hiker. All of their efforts were in vain because of the low visibility and risky conditions at play.

They only managed to find his body at 5pm the next day, but decided to hold out on the extraction until the next day due to worsening weather conditions. Conditions significantly eased out the next day, making their rescue operation all the easier to execute. They had brought together two teams for the extraction, one on foot and the other in the air. With visibility much better than the past few days, the New Hampshire Army National Guard reached Mount Guyot at 8:30 and recovered Christopher’s body.

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He was well-known and respected in the hiking community. A professional hiker, his family said he loved being the mountains and the taste of adventure. Roma was part of a covert group of hundred people who have completed the triple crown of hiking the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide.

Affectionately called ‘Rafiki’ in the hiker circles, Roma’s sudden and unfortunate demise has left a huge void in the hiking community. There was a huge out-pour of love for the man from people all over the town of Thornton. His friends have even set up a GoFundMe Page for his family. He is survived by his two-year-old son.

While the shocking and sudden demise absolutely devastated his family, they find some remorse in the fact that he died doing something he genuinely loved.

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