RUMNEY -- More than two dozen people were searching Wednesday night for a missing 72-year-old man from North Carolina.

State Police Lt. Todd Landry said Hugh Armstrong of Clayton, N.C., is here with his family visiting Stinson Lake on vacation and went out for "a short walk," abut 6:30 a.m. Landry said Armstrong had no health issues and was planning to walk from Hawthorne Village along the edge of the lake.

Twelve hours later, Landry said the search for Armstrong continues and includes the New England K-9 Search and Rescue on the ground, the NH State Police helicopter in the air, state Fish and Game officials, and local fire and police.

He said that at night helicopters in the air would be able to use infrared radar - which picks up the heat of a person's body - but only once it became dark.

He added that the search was expected to go on through the night until Armstrong is found.

Good weather was helping searchers, but the weather is expected to turn inclement on Thursday.

Armstrong is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. He has brown-gray hair, gray eyes, and wears glasses. He is thought to be wearing a white Red Sox hat, a red or blue t-shirt, and shorts.

Anyone who has seen Armstrong is asked to call State Police Troop F at (603) 846-3333.

Landry said that it was preferable for people not to search in the woods because dogs were using the scent of Armstrong to search for him and the animals might become confused by other human scents.

He said there had been several calls from individuals who thought they saw Armstrong, but those turned out to not be the missing man.

Stinson Lake is about 350 acres in size and is located high above the Rumney village floor. It is bordered by the White Mountain National Forest and is just northwest of 2,900 foot Stinson Mountain.

There are many logging roads and trails in the area. It is a airly remote and sparsely populated area of the state, bordered by the small town of Ellsworth.

Landry said many of those trails are being scoured by a group of about 25 searchers.

- - - - - - - -

Paula Tracy may be reached at ptracy@unionleader.com.