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.

Essex County

Town of Keene
Mountain Rescue: On Feb. 24 at 4:28 pm, Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Bill O’Connor, caretaker for the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR). He reported that a 48-year-old man from New Vernon, N.J., suffered a lower leg injury when he lost his footing while descending Lower Wolf Jaw Mountain in the High Peaks Wilderness Area. O’Connor requested assistance back to the trailhead. Forest Ranger Daniel Fox was dispatched to the reserve with an ATV. At 6:15 pm, Ranger Fox arrived and assessed the hiker’s injury. The Ranger assisted the subject back to Canyon Bridge where the ATV was staged, and then transported the man to his vehicle. The hiker decided to seek medical assistance on his own.

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.