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 is a report, prepared by DEC, of a recent mission carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks.

Essex County

Town of North Elba
High Peaks Wilderness

Distressed Hiker: On December 21, 2015 at 3:15 p.m., the hiking companion of a 22-year-old woman from Rochester, NY, contacted DEC Ray Brook Dispatch reporting the woman was in medical distress near the summit of Algonquin. Four DEC Forest Rangers responded due to the remote location and icy conditions. Additional responding Rangers also set up staging equipment at the Adirondack Loj. Both hikers decided to start walking out after eating and resting. They met one Forest Ranger at McIntyre Falls at 5:30 p.m. The Ranger provided the woman with water and hiking poles to assist with stability on the ice and escorted them out to the Loj at 7:35 p.m. The pair declined additional medical treatment. Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry.