Lost in New Hampshire? Could Cost $25K

When rescuers reached 17-year-old Scott Mason, who had been lost on New Hampshire's Mount Washington for three days, the teen and his family were greatly relieved.

Approximately 28 experienced searchers and a helicopter were deployed to help locate the missing hiker. And now the state wants a little somethin' for the effort -- $25,000.

The Nashua Telegraph reports that in July, the Fish and Game Department billed Mason for the cost of his rescue, $25,000. Attorneys for the state and Mason were reportedly in talks to reach a resolution during the last few weeks.

New Hampshire instituted a law that makes it easier to collect reimbursement for people who aren't prepared and require a search-and-rescue mission.

"We have to get the message out there for people to stop pulling these stupid stunts and putting other people in harm's way who go out and rescue them," Bob L'Heureux, a state representative who supported the bill, told the paper . "There is no reason that we should put lives of New Hampshire Fish and Game people and volunteers in jeopardy because of the carelessness of other people."

The problem is Mason is not the ideal person to make an example of. He's a former Eagle Scout who was praised for his survival skills. According to Boston.com , his track record of service includes an award for collecting 3,200 pounds of food for the Greater Boston Food Bank as part of his Eagle Scout project.

That has put the state at odds with national search-and-rescue groups, reports USA Today , which say billing hikers is dangerous. "It certainly has put us on the hot spot," Lt. Todd Bogardus, head of search and rescue for the state Fish and Game Department.