NH hiker found dead: GoFundMe raises over $5000 as Guopeng Li dies at the age of 28 

A 28-year-old hiker was found dead by rescue teams in Franconia, New Hampshire, early on Christmas morning. He was later identified as Guopeng "Tony" Li of Salem, New Hampshire. As per the reports, the trekker was a native of China and at the time of his death, had been living in the USA for 10 years.

As per officials, the body of Guopeng Li was found at 6:45 am on December 25, 2022, about half a mile away from the Falling Waters Trail in Franconia.

Previously, family members had informed officials that Li left for the hike around 11 am on Saturday, December 24, 2022. However, around 9 pm, which is when a rescue team was sent, Li was nowhere to be found.

The family has now set up a GoFundMe page for Li, as they wish to come to the USA and take his ashes to his home country, China. The page raised $6,925 in just two days.

The GoFundMe page set up for the NH trekker has raised $6,925 in 2 days. (Image via GoFundMe)

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Officials believe that the 28-year-old hiker's phone died mid-hike

As per MassLive, Guopeng Li's family described him as “a hard-working, intelligent, caring young man with a kind heart.” As per the GoFundMe page, Li wanted his family to visit him in the USA.

The page reads:

“His longtime wish was to have his parents and younger brother visit him in the US. They are now applying for passports and visas. They will see him one last time and bring his ashes back home. Funeral expenses and international travel are costly during the pandemic. If you're available to help with this cost financially, it'll be greatly appreciated and much needed. Your words in memory of Tony are also appreciated.”

As per reports, the hiker's family members were constantly trying to contact him during his hike, but were unsuccessful. Officials later deduced that Li's phone went dead around 6:15 pm, when he appeared to be off the trail south of Mount Lincoln. Furthermore, the family also talked about Li being an inexperienced hiker. Additionally, they do not know what equipment he was carrying for the hike.

The Fish and Game department stated:

"Shortly after the team located what they believed to be the tracks of the hiker. The tracks continued off trail and ended up in a drainage that flows from between Little Haystack Mountain and Mount Lincoln.”

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Hikers and trekkers advised to exercise caution

Officials and authorities believe that Li’s death is a reminder to all the trekkers visiting the mountain to practice safe hiking and wear appropriate clothing during the hike.

Furthermore, it is also recommended that people go hiking together in groups, rather than alone. Lieutenant James Kneeland claimed that a group of hikers hiking together rarely have a problem. He said:

“It’s usually a single, lone person trying to make decisions on their own, and their decision-making is altered because of the stress of the situation.”

With this, Li became the 21st hiker to die this year in New Hampshire. Experts believe that the fatality rate here is roughly 22 fatalities per year.