LINCOLN – The search teams that found two men atop a mountain in Franconia Notch had spent nearly six hours breaking trail to the summit, making their way through darkness, deep snow and howling winds.

Above treeline and and near the 4,800-foot summit of Little Haystack, the 7-man rescue team found Laurence Frederickson, 55, of South Sutton and James Osborne, 36, of Manchester at about 7:30 p.m.

“They were right on the trail,” said Fish and Game Lt. James Goss.

Conditions were difficult throughout the afternoon for the two dozen searchers that made their way up two trails that were likely taken by Osborne and Frederickson.

But searchers caught a break, when after sunset, the freezing fog lifted and enabled a National Guard helicopter to land atop Little Haystack and bring the two men off the mountain.

“It’s the first time they’ve landed like that at night,” Goss said. “We were in the process of getting about 30 people together, to get ready to go up there and carry them down. It would have taken all night.”

The two men had planned a day hike Sunday up to the summit of Mount Lafayette, a nine-mile loop up the Falling Waters Trail and down the Bridal Path. Although Sunday morning started out clear, snow and winds blew into the notch by late morning.

Goss said the two had good gear and that Frederickson had winter hiking experience. Osborne was described to officials as a novice winter hiker. But they did not have snowshoes or adequate gear for the extreme conditions, which included subzero temperatures and winds of more than 60 mph.

“Our feeling is that they made it up Falling Waters and went beyond Haystack,” he said. “They couldn’t go any farther and they may have been turning back.”

The two were found near each other, about 200 feet north of the intersection of Falling Waters and the Franconia Ridge trails. Frederickson, officials said, was lying near the trail, his back still on his back, unresponsive. Osborne was found a short distance away, near some scrub trees.

Osborne was lifted off the mountain at 8:50 p.m. and Frederickson was flown off at 9:35 p.m. Both were taken to Littleton Hospital, where Frederickson was pronounced dead. Osborne was airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon. His condition was not available.

The search teams, which included conservation officers and the U.S. Forest Service, as well as volunteers from Mount Rescue and Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue, were mustered after the two men, who work together at Concord Coach, were reported missing late Monday morning by co-workers.

The team that ultimately found Osborne and Frederickson was sent up Falling Waters, where the snow was five feet deep in places, Goss said.

“They were to go up to treeline and look for evidence of foot prints,” he said. “We weren’t going to send anyone across the ridgeline. They were to go up, check around and report back.”

Although the National Guard helicopter took part in Monday afternoon’s search, the weather conditions, which included a ceiling of fog at 3,000 feet, it had not been able to get to that area of the search.

Along with darkness and treacherous conditions, searchers feared the two may had been blown off the ridge and down into the Pemigewasset Wilderness, which would have made for hazardous conditions for search teams had it gone into a second day.

“With all the snow we’ve had this winter, there’s a severe avalanche danger,” Goss said. “We were pretty nervous about that.”

Goss said this week’s search and rescue is a reminder to hikers to be prepared for the worst in the mountains.

“Look at the weather, if it’s not favorable, alter your plans or hike below treeline,” he said. “If you go and encounter severe weather, know when to turn back.”