Yes, it's amazing that they waited until just before sunset to realize they were in deep doo doo and call for the cavalry. They had to know they were in trouble when the snow started earlier in the day and they lost visibility. I too am amazed that two 50+ year old's would be doing a hike on the 2nd highest peak in New England in winter without a GPS, or PLB. (I must admit to having done similar things as a youth.. but, these folks should have had a little seasoning?)

I have to assume they had a decent map and compass. If so, they should have been able to know when they lost the trail, if they were following along as they hiked. It's pretty important to keep yourself found... it makes it easier to describe where you got lost <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Folks like them are what is called job security by the people who have to go save them...

I've done a 1hr or so hike in that area - trust me - an inch of snow, you can lose the trail even with a map/compass - your in a rock field - if you can't see the next carron - you can get lost

Some of the trails above treeline disappear completely, with the exception of following cairns. And, in poor visibility, the cairns can be hard to see as well. Also, several trails blend together, then branch apart again. With poor visibility, not being able to see landmarks OR cairns, it could be pretty disorienting. I hiked mt. washington once on a totally clear day, until I hit the scree slopes on the final ascent. Then fog rolled in. I knew I was going in the right direction because I was climbing up. I was WAY off course though.
These folks, even though the DID get lost, did the right thing. They carried gear to see them through, were at least MARGINALLY prepared for it, and called for help when they realized they were lost.
They will most likely still get charged for the S&R fees, as they will undoubtedly determine that the couple could have walked out on their own in the morning. But, they kept a calm head, and avoided tragedy.

Who says lock picks aren't survival gear? <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Unlock cabin, spend the night, lock up in the morning.

That translates to about -55 F. Kudos to the S&R people who, knowing that, went out anyway. I have a hard time believing that such conditions were not forecasted, at least partially. I would have canceled my hike that day and stayed home by the fire.... <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Hypothermia may have been a factor in getting lost. From personal experience ;-(, even mild hypothermia really slows down the mental processes. Another thing is that it's a lot harder to navigate in rolling hills when visibility is limited. Everything kind of looks the same. Of course, a GPS tells you where you are, but it's not always easy to translate the GPS coordinates to a position on a topo map when it's cold and wind is blowing your map around.

GPS, Map, Compass. . . there's more than one way to use that combo. If the GPS is functioning and you mark waypoints on the way in/up, you just select the relevant waypoint, get a bearing and walk to it. Watch your step, don't walk off a cliff. If there is a bridge across a stream or a major fork in the trail, mark them as WPs. After you use it enough you'll know what to mark and after that you can fly IFR -- trust your instruments.

And speaking of GPS, many (most/all) have some sort of "trail of crumbs" feature that you can back-track with in case you get lostin a confusing landscape.

"...IFR..."

I Follow Road, right??? You are correct of course, I just had to throw that in...