Identified Massachusetts teen who died while hiking remembered as lover of woods and family

A Massachusetts teen who died while on a hike recently is being remembered.

According to New Hampshire Fish and Game, on Saturday June 13th, 2026, at 4:11 p.m., Conservation Officers received a call from Mountain Patrol Rangers at Monadnock State Park. The Mountain Patrol Rangers had been notified of a hiker who was suffering a medical incident on the Cascade Link Trail approximately .75 miles from the Park Headquarters on Poole Road. Good Samaritans came across the solo hiker and called 911. They then began CPR as his condition deteriorated. Conservation Officers immediately responded and requested additional assistance from local fire departments.

​Members of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Jaffrey Fire Department, Rindge Fire Department, Peterborough Fire Department, Dublin Fire Department, Troy Fire Department, Keene Fire Department, New Ipswich Fire Department, Massachusetts Lifeflight, Greatbrook Ambulance, Jaffrey Rindge Memorial Ambulance, Jaffrey Police Department, Southwestern New Hampshire District Fire Mutual Aid, and the Cheshire County Sheriff’s Dispatch Office all aided in the rescue effort.

​Despite the best efforts of all involved, the hiker, identified as Joshua Luth, 19, of Lancaster, MA succumbed to the medical event he sustained while hiking and was pronounced deceased.

According to an obituary, “Joshua was a compassionate soul who was an avid hiker, and mountaineer who loved both the mountains and the woods. He loved his family. Joshua was an avid reader, who enjoyed photography, and always wanted the perfect shot and treasured a variety of music, of all genres. He had a great sense of humor, and always enjoyed a spirited debate. Joshua was also very spiritual, in his daily life. He truly was an old soul.”

The cause of the incident remains under investigation by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.