A New Hampshire hiker injured her leg on Mount Kearsarge and had to be carried down in a rescue stretcher, but the rescue turned romantic when her partner proposed
Some days on the trail end with a great view and tired legs. Others end with something you never forget. For 29‑year‑old hiker Alexis Hardy, a weekend outing on Mount Kearsarge in New Hampshire turned into both a medical rescue and a life‑changing moment – all within the same trip.Late on a Saturday morning, Alexis was hiking the Barlow Trail with her partner, Tim Dupere, according to People. What started as a normal trek quickly changed when she injured her lower leg. The pain and damage were serious enough that walking became impossible. On a rocky, uneven trail, there’s no easy way to “push through” an injury like that, so the pair did exactly what they needed to do: they called for help.New Hampshire Fish and Game officers received the call and organised a mountain rescue. For Alexis, that meant being carefully loaded into a rescue stretcher so she could be carried down safely by the team. It’s the kind of scenario that usually feels anything but romantic – you’re in pain, lying still, completely dependent on strangers to get you off the mountain.But Tim had come to Mount Kearsarge with another plan in mind that day.He’d already decided he was going to propose. And even though the day had taken a stressful turn, he chose not to wait for the “perfect” moment later. Instead, while rescuers were in the process of carrying Alexis to safety, he turned that difficult situation into something unexpectedly beautiful: He asked her to marry him.Somewhere between the trail, the stretcher and the steady footsteps of the rescue crew, Tim popped the question. Alexis, strapped in and unable to walk, still had full control over one thing – her answer. And, she said ‘yes’!
Photo credit : Courtesy of New Hampshire Fish and Game
The proposal didn’t stop the rescue, of course. After that emotional moment, the team continued their work, carrying Alexis to the summit area and then down along Rollins Trail as part of the evacuation route. A photo captured during the rescue shows her lying in the stretcher, ring on her finger, with her now‑fiancé by her side. It’s a striking image: Safety gear, outdoor gear, and a tiny symbol of commitment all in one frame.
Once off the mountain, Alexis was transported by ambulance to Concord Hospital in Hopkinton, where doctors treated her leg injury. The day closed not just with medical care, but with people around them acknowledging what had happened – that in the middle of a rescue, two hikers had become an engaged couple.New Hampshire officials later shared their congratulations to Alexis Hardy and Tim Dupere, recognising not just the successful rescue, but the joyful twist that came with it. It’s the kind of story that sticks with anyone who hears it: proof that even days that go “wrong” can hold moments of courage, care and connection.
