On Saturday, February 7, 2026 at about 8:50 pm, the Johns Brook Lodge caretaker in the Adirondack High Peaks called 911 requesting Forest Ranger assistance with a hiker on Gothics Mountain. The 42-year-old went hiking with a group that morning but became separated and lost.
Daytime temperatures Saturday were forecast to be near 10 below and winds 30-35 miles per hour, bringing windchills dangerously low on summits, to the 40s below zero.
Gothics is located in the Town of Keene, Essex County, in the Great Range and is the tenth-highest peak in New York, with an elevation of 4,736 feet. There are currently four to six feet of snow on most High Peaks summits.
Seven Rangers responded and at 11 pm located the subject in good health off trail and making their way out of the woods. Rangers assisted the hiker back to the lodge to reunite with the rest of the group.
The rescue ended around 1 am.
Read more recent Forest Ranger missions.
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