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 Adirondack 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

Injured hiker: On January 6, 2016 at 1:53 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for assistance for a 21-year-old woman from State College, PA with a non-weight bearing lower leg injury above the Wright-Algonquin junction. An EMT on scene monitored the injury while DEC Forest Rangers responded to ADK Loj for a weather dependent aviation rescue. New York State Police Aviation responded but cancelled the hoist rescue due to high winds in the area. Four additional Forest Rangers traveled a mile by snowmobile and three miles on foot before reaching the group at 6:19 p.m. above MacIntre Falls. The hikers, who were members of a college outing club, were well prepared for back country emergencies and stabilized the woman’s injury while waiting for help. Forest Rangers packaged the woman into a rescue sled and slowly pulled her three miles to a waiting snowmobile which transported her the remaining distance to ADK Loj. The Lake Placid Ambulance Squad then transported her to Adirondack Medical Center – Lake Placid for treatment. The incident concluded at 9:40 p.m.

Be Prepared

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s Hiking Safety webpage and Adirondack Trail Information webpage for more information about where you intend to travel. The Adirondack Almanack  reports weekly Outdoor Conditions each Thursday afternoon.