New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the backcountry.

What follows are reports, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks.

Essex County: Town of North Elba
High Peaks Wilderness

Lost Hikers: On November 28, 2015 at 7:18 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a hiker reporting that while he, his son and grandson were descending Nye Mountain they lost the trail. The 61-year-old man from Watervliet, NY reported that he and his hiking party were near Indian Pass Brook and could not tell where the trail continued. Essex County 911 provided GPS coordinates of their location and a DEC Forest Ranger responded. The Forest Ranger located the party at 8:28 p.m. and escorted them back to their vehicle at ADK Loj. The group did have a compass, map and lights, but could not determine what direction they needed to travel. The incident concluded at 9:29 p.m.

Warren County: Lake George

Lost Hunter: Search efforts will continue this week for 82-year-old Thomas Messick. The Troy hunter has not been seen since November 15 in the Lake George Wild Forest near Lily Pond in the Town of Horicon, Warren County. Since then, hundreds of searchers have combed thousands of acres by foot and air trying to locate him, with no results.