Editor’s note: I will be participating in Emily’s Hike and will be working to raise $5,000 in her honor. Please consider donating directly to Emily’s Hike, creating a team or join my team and hike along with me.
WESTFORD — A hike planned this summer will honor Emily Sotelo, a 19-year-old Westford Academy graduate who died while hiking in the White Mountains last winter.
Money raised from this hike will be used to prevent incidents in the future. Funds will benefit the Emily M. Sotelo Persistence and Safety Charitable Foundation, which will benefit hiking safety initiatives and search and rescue teams.
Sotelo worked to finish the NH 48, the 48 mountains taller than 4,000 feet. Though she was close to summiting all 48 peaks, she had little experience with winter hiking and officials say she was unprepared for the conditions.
Sotelo’s body was found on Nov. 20 on the northwest side of Mount Lafayette in Franconia, New Hampshire. Her body was found after a daylong search on what would have been her 20th birthday.
New Hampshire Fish and Game, along with a New Hampshire Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter and the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team among others participated in the search.
Emily’s Hike is set for July 29. People who want to get involved can either donate directly or hike in Sotelo’s memory.
Further information can be found online.
