Chad Denning Perishes on Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire

Home News Chad Denning Perishes on Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire

Published Sep 10, 2014

We regret to inform you of the sudden death of an Appalachian Trail hiker: 39-year-old Chad Denning from New London, New Hampshire, on Sunday afternoon, September 7, 2014.

Local authorities say Mr. Denning had been running and hiking with friends on the Appalachian Trail's Beaver Brook Trail at Mt. Moosilauke in Benton, NH, when he stopped breathing and collapsed.

Reports say Mr. Denning paused to enjoy the scenery after spending the previous four hours exerting himself on the trail. CPR was administered by friends in order to try to revive him. A rescue team arrived in the rugged remote area where the accident took place several hours later. They pronounced Mr. Denning dead at the scene at approximately 3:30 PM.

The rescue team struggled to descend from the trail and finally reached nearby Woodstock, NH, around 8 PM.

Mr. Denning had earned the nickname "Superman" from his many successes in marathon and ultra-marathon competitions.

He had worked as the director of recreation in both Hanover and New London and was also associated with the Student Conservation Association (SCA), based in Charlestown. SCA conducts restoration projects in national parks.

We send our condolences to Chad Denning's friends and family.

Tags: Appalachian Trail, Hiking, News, and Accidents