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.

Franklin County

Town of Harrietstown
Wilderness Rescue: On March 1, DEC Ray Brook Dispatch was notified by Franklin County 911 of an injured 71-year-old Duxbury, MA, man who had fallen on Ampersand Mountain. The hiker reported that he was disoriented from head and shoulder injuries and could not find the trail. Nine Forest Rangers were assigned to the rescue and found him within two hours of his call. A first aid assessment determined he needed further medical care. Rangers initiated a carry-out to a spot where the injured man could be hoisted by a State Police helicopter. Within four hours of his call, the hiker was at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake.

Hamilton County

Town of Arietta
Snowmobile Accident Rescue: On March 4, DEC Ray Brook Dispatch was notified by Fulton County 911 of a snowmobile accident on Piseco Road. Two Forest Rangers were on snowmobiles within a mile of the accident location and found the accident on the Powley Road Snowmobile Trail. Rangers assisted Lake Pleasant EMS with the rescue and transport of the 33-year-old village of Wyoming man who required hospital treatment. The accident scene indicated the man was traveling too fast to make a turn on the trail and subsequently crashed into a tree.

Warren County

Town of Horicon
Search for Snowmobiler: On March 3, Forest Ranger Charles Kabrehl was flagged down by a family who stated that a 73-year-old Brant Lake man had not returned from an expected short snowmobile ride. Kabrehl followed the snowmobile tracks, located the snowmobile, and found the man. His snowmobile had become stuck after he went off the trail, so he had walked back to his house to get another snowmobile to pull the stuck sled out. He was in good health and no further assistance was needed.

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.