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Hiker Missing In NH Mountains Found Safe

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Apr 28, 2009 5:28 pm US/Eastern

Hiker Missing In NH Mountains Found Safe

PINKHAM NOTCH, N.H. (WBZ) ― The teen hiker who has been missing in the New Hampshire mountains for three days has been found safe.

Scott Mason, 17, an Eagle Scout and high school junior from Halifax, Mass., got lost after heading up 6,288-foot Mount Washington early Saturday. He was planning to hike 17 challenging miles in one day.

Lt. Douglas Gralenski said searchers followed boot tracks Monday consistent with someone who was disoriented or lost.

The search was focused on the Great Gulf Wilderness north of Tuckerman Ravine on Mount Washington.

Fish and Game Dept. Major Tim Acerno said seachers were bringing Mason down to safety as weather forecasts said lightning, high winds and hail were possible Tuesday afternoon.

Searchers worried early about hypothermia and the risk of an avalanche, but became more concerned that Mason would be swept away trying to cross one of the numerous streams swollen by snow-melt.

Fish and Game officials told WBZ Mason's only error was that he was "overly ambitious." They say the snow was too deep and soft, and the rivers were too full for the kind of hike he tried to do. Officials say hikers should wait to tackle Mount Washington in the summer.

Mount Washington is notorious for its unpredictable and often treacherous weather, including the highest surface wind speed ever recorded -- 231 mph.

At Sacred Heart High School in Kingston, where Mason is a junior, news of his rescue was announced over the P.A. system, to the cheers of fellow students.

"We were just grateful to hear such good news," said fellow student Sue Giovanetti.

"It was very relieving, and he is so smart," his friend, Noelle Slavin, said.

Mason was the 2007 recipient of Nally Award, for organizing a food drive that collected more than 3,200 pounds of food for the Greater Boston Food Bank.

The school plans to hold a prayer service Wednesday to give thanks for his safe return.

Mason was being treated Tuesday at a New Hampshire hospital, and there is no word when he will return to Halifax, Mass.

Kate Merrill contributed to this report.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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