Searchers found Kent Wood dead Tuesday night after the 61-year-old West Roxbury man went missing while hiking in Franconia Notch, ending a daylong search that began after his family alerted New Hampshire Fish and Game that morning. Conservation Officers located Wood at 7:41 p.m. Tuesday on a remote section of the Kinsman Pond Trail in Lincoln, about 5.5 miles from his vehicle.
Wood had driven to the Lafayette Campground in Lincoln on Friday to camp and hike for the weekend, then started hiking Saturday morning. Family or friends last heard from him on Saturday afternoon. The search effort began Tuesday morning and included New Hampshire Fish and Game, PEMI Valley Search and Rescue and an Army National Guard helicopter.
The operation centered on the Lonesome Lake and Kinsman Pond area, where 3 to 5 inches of snow fell between Sunday and Monday. Officials said Wood had been prepared for warmer conditions, not the snow that settled across Franconia Notch, a mismatch that likely made the terrain more difficult and the search more urgent.
Rescuers carried Wood out to the trailhead, reaching it at 1:10 a.m. Wednesday. For his family, the search ended in the worst possible way. For anyone heading into the White Mountains after an early-season weather change, it was a reminder that the mountains can turn fast, and that a short hike can become a long rescue.
