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,

The two experienced hikers fought chest-deep snow and freezing temperatures before huddling in snow to wait for rescuers.

After about an hour of trying to rescue themselves, McKee, 51, of Southborough, Massachusetts, and Beata LeLacheur, 54, of Westborough, Massachusetts, called 911. They reached New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officers, who plotted their GPS coordinates and directed them toward the trail - just 34 feet (10 meters) away. It didn't work.

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,