Town of Minerva
Essex County
Underage Drinking: On July 4 at 1:10 p.m., Forest Rangers responded to a report of a large group of off-duty camp counselors at an underage drinking party off the Boreas Trail in Minerva.

Rangers issued 24 tickets for underaged possession of alcohol on State land and shuttled the subjects back to their camps. Resources were clear at 4:35 p.m.

Town of North Hudson
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On July 6 at 2 a.m., Forest Rangers were called to search for a group of campers returning from a hike to Mount Marcy. The 21- and 19-year-old group leaders were with a 15-year-old, two 13-year-olds, and a 12-year-old. Despite rain in the forecast and the group’s general lack of hiking experience, their plan was to hike Marcy and Algonquin in one day.

The group brought a spot beacon to stay in touch with people back at the camp and reached the summit of Marcy at 4:30 p.m. On the way down, the group lost the trail and ended up behind Lake Colden in waist deep water. They turned around and sent an SOS from the beacon at 12:15 a.m. The Lake Colden caretaker reached the campers at 4 a.m. Rangers Martin and Quinn reached the group at 5:15 a.m. The group did not have enough food and blankets.

Rangers helped the group to the Colden outpost and provided dry clothes, as well as food, drink, and beds. The group slept until approximately 11 a.m., before Rangers helped them back to the trailhead by 4 p.m.

Rescued campers. DEC photo.

Town of Keene
Essex County
Illegal Camping: On July 7, Rangers were alerted by Adirondack Mountain Club staff about two hikers camping above the last trail junction on the Van Hoevenberg Trail. An interior caretaker, Forest Ranger, and Assistant Forest Ranger escorted the subjects to Adirondak Loj. The Rangers issued nine tickets for multiple violations including camping above 4,000 feet, having a campfire in the Eastern High Peaks, and failure to maintain control of a dog.

Illegal camping above the last trail junction on the Van Hoevenberg Trail. DEC photo.

Village of Tupper Lake
Franklin County
ATV Dumped: On July 7 at 1:30 p.m., Forest Rangers DiCintio, O’Connor, and Praczkajlo were on boat patrol on Tupper Lake when they found an ATV submerged near the shoreline. Rangers looked at the tracks and determined someone drove the vehicle off the railroad bed and down a 20-foot embankment. The crashed vehicle still had fishing poles attached to it, as well as a 25-inch walleye hanging from the back rack. Rangers searched for an injured driver with negative results. A New York State Police trooper went to the owner’s residence but was told the 41-year-old from Tupper Lake was out of town. Police eventually found him with a stolen winch he was planning to use to retrieve the ATV. ECO Newell issued three tickets to the owner and Rangers removed the ATV from the water.

ATV dumped in Tupper Lake. DEC photo.

Town of Johnsburg
Warren County
Wilderness Rescue: On July 10 at 11:30 a.m., Warren County 911 requested Forest Ranger assistance with an injured climber on Crane Mountain. Ranger Morehouse reached the trailhead when the caller reporting the incident said the 36-year-old from Ballston Spa made it out on her own. While at the trailhead, someone else requested assistance for a broken wrist. The Forest Ranger splinted the wrist of a 58-year-old from Stillwater. Ranger Morehouse then found the original climber, who still needed help with their ankle and knee injury. The Ranger administered first aid and helped the climber back to the trailhead.

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s Hike Smart NY, Adirondack Backcountry Information, and Catskill Backcountry Information webpages for more information.

If a person needs a Forest Ranger, whether it’s for a search and rescue, to report a wildfire, or to report illegal activity on state lands and easements, they should call 833-NYS-RANGERS. If a person needs urgent assistance, they can call 911. To contact a Forest Ranger for information about a specific location, the DEC website has phone numbers for every Ranger listed by region.