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.

Clinton County

Town of Dannemora
State Land
Overdue hunters: On Nov. 2 at 1:34 am, DEC Central Dispatch received a request for assistance from New York State Police to help find a 50–year-old male from Plattsburgh and a 53-year-old male from Dannemora overdue from hunting on state land in Dannemora. The hunters had parked their vehicles at a pull-off on Route 374 and taken all-terrain-vehicles from there. A DEC Forest Ranger responded to assist State Police and the Saranac Fire Department in the search. One hunter was able to bushwhack his way out at 12:15 pm. The second hunter was located at 1:52 pm and escorted out of the woods. The incident concluded at 2 pm.

Essex County

Town of North Elba
High Peaks Wilderness
Distressed hiker: On Nov. 5 at 7:34 pm, DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for assistance for a 39-year-old male from Bayside who was at Marcy Dam in distress and unable to continue. A DEC Forest Ranger responded by utility-terrain-vehicle. The hiker was stabilized and transported to his vehicle at South Meadow Lane. He declined additional medical treatment. The incident concluded at 9:28 pm.

Warren County

Town of Bolton
Lake George Wild Forest
Lost hiker: On Nov. 2 at 7:30 pm, DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for assistance from Warren County 911 for a 30-year-old female from Glens Falls lost on the Blue Trail on Cat Mountain with a dying head lamp. The woman provided coordinates, which placed her on Thomas Mountain. A DEC Forest Ranger responded to the coordinates, located the woman at 9:03 pm and escorted her out to the trailhead. The incident concluded at 10:10 pm.

Town of Bolton
Lake George Wild Forest
Unprepared hikers: On Nov. 6 at 4:02 pm, DEC Ray Brook Dispatch was contacted by a 52-year-old male and 55-year-old female, both from Ponce Inlet, Fl., requesting assistance on the Tongue Mountain trail. The hikers had not anticipated the length of time their hike would take and did not have flashlights for the final section of trail. A DEC Forest Ranger responded, met the hikers on the trail at 5:50 pm, and escorted them out to their vehicle. The incident concluded at 7:07 pm.

Be Prepared: 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.