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 recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks.

Warren County

Town of Lake George
Lake George Wild Forest
Injured hiker: On January 27, 2016 at 11:19 a.m., Warren County 911 transferred a call to DEC Ray Brook Dispatch from a 56-year-old woman from Queensbury, NY with a lower leg injury on Prospect Mountain. The woman managed to get to the first intersection of Prospect Mountain Road and the trail with help from her hiking companion. DEC Forest Rangers responded and reached the woman at 11:47 a.m. They administered First Aid and transported the pair back to their vehicle where the woman said she would seek medical attention on her own. The incident concluded at 12:15 p.m. The Lake George Fire Department and Rescue squad assisted in the rescue.

Essex County

Town of Keene
High Peaks Wilderness
Distressed hiker: On January 31, 2016 at 1:18 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a radio transmission from the Adirondack Mountain Club’s Johns Brook Lodge (JBL) staff requesting assistance for a 55-year-old man from Sanbornton, NH. The man was at Camp Peggy O’Brien and unable to move. Trail conditions in the area prohibited motorized access to the injured hiker. JBL staff and members of the hiking party brought the man by litter to the DEC Johns Brook interior outpost at 2:30 p.m. New York State Police Aviation responded with one DEC Forest Ranger to the outpost. They transported the man via helicopter to Marcy Field to the awaiting Keene Valley Rescue Squad, which took him by ambulance to the Elizabethtown Community Hospital for treatment. The incident concluded at 3:15 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.