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,

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.

If a pair of Massachusetts hikers had not properly prepared for a hike on Mt. Washington Sunday, they may not have survived the conditions they encountered, officials said.