Kathryn McKee and her hiking partner huddled in the darkness, waiting for a search team to make its way through subzero temperatures and sustained winds of 50 to 60 miles per hour.

The two friends had hiked New Hampshire’s challenging Mount Washington trail a month ago. They returned and did it again Sunday after trekking through neighboring peaks in the White Mountains. Both veteran hikers,

Two experienced hikers were rescued after an hourslong ordeal in which they became stranded in waist-deep snow and whiteout conditions.

They were in waist-deep snow and whiteout conditions. They were lost on the tallest mountain in the Northeast, known for its extreme, changeable weather. “That snow has nothing to stick to,” said Amy Cotter,