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
Wilderness Rescue: On July 23 at 5:34 pm, DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch was advised of a female hiker on Cascade Mountain with a knee injury. The caller reported the injured hiker was being assisted slowly down the trail and was approximately 1.5 miles from the trailhead. At 7:45 pm, a second caller contacted Dispatch stating that the 50-year-old hiker from Erie, PA, was still approximately one mile from the trailhead and moving slowly. Forest Ranger James Giglinto responded and was with the hiker by 8:17 pm. He assessed the knee injury, which was weight bearing, and advised the hiker to seek medical attention for what appeared to be a dislocation. The hiking party was out of the woods at 8:30 pm, and the injured hiker stated she would seek further care on her own.

Herkimer County

Town of Webb
Wilderness Rescue: On July 26 at 1:05 pm, DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch was contacted by Herkimer County 911 reporting an injured hiker near the summit of Bald Mountain. The 27-year-old woman from Macedon was hiking to the summit when she slipped and injured her right ankle. Her hiking companion called 911 for help. Eight members of the Old Forge Fire Department responded with a stokes rescue litter. Forest Rangers Luke Evans, Martin Candee, and Lt. Scott Murphy also responded. The Old Forge rescue squad hiked up, located the injured woman, and stabilized the ankle. Forest Ranger Evans arrived on scene and assisted with carry out efforts. They reached the trailhead at 2:47 pm, when the hiker was transferred to Old Forge Rescue ambulance for transport to a local hospital for treatment. The incident concluded at 3 pm.

St. Lawrence County

Town of Colton
Wilderness Rescue: On July 28 at 1:53 pm, DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Franklin County 911 reporting an injured woman at a Lows Lake Bog River Flow campsite in Lows Lake Primitive Area. The 65-year-old woman from White River Junction, VT, had fallen on a tree branch while walking up from the lake and suffered a severe leg laceration. The woman’s husband called 911. Forest Ranger Corenne Black and Assistant Ranger Neilson Snye responded to Lows Lake and then continued by canoe to arrive at the campsite by 2:43 pm. Forest Ranger Black stabilized the patient and the Rangers evacuated her by canoe. Forest Rangers transported the woman by patrol vehicle to the Upper Dam, where she was transferred to Long Lake Ambulance at 3:45 pm, for transport to a local hospital.

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.