New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. 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 and engage in policing on New York State Lands.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers.
Town of Elizabethtown
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On Oct. 9 at 9:20 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a concerned family member of two hikers overdue on Giant Mountain. The family had last heard from the hikers at 8:40 p.m., and were advised the hikers’ phones and head lamps were dying.
Forest Rangers Bode and Quinn located the 55-year-old from Au Sable Forks and 70-year-old from Keeseville on the trail approximately 1.7 miles from the trailhead. Rangers provided headlamps, warm clothing, and water and helped the pair down the trailhead. Resources were clear at 12:15 a.m.
Town of Webb
Herkimer County
Wilderness Rescue: On Oct. 11 at 12:46 p.m., Forest Ranger McCartney responded to a call for a hiker with a lower leg injury one-quarter of a mile from the Bald Mountain trailhead. Ranger McCartney located the 68-year-old from Fairport and splinted her leg. Ranger Hanno and the Old Forge Fire Department helped secure the hiker into a wheeled litter and brought her down to an Old Forge Ambulance by 1:16 p.m.
Town of Jay
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On Oct. 12 at 1:50 p.m., Forest Rangers Black and Bode responded to a call for a hiker with an ankle injury on Jay Mountain. Good Samaritans stopped and splinted the hiker’s ankle while Rangers responded. Rangers helped the 24-year-old from Albany and her dog down the mountain. Resources were clear at 5:20 p.m.
Town of Woodstock
Ulster County
Wilderness Rescue: On Oct. 12 at 2:30 p.m., Ulster County 911 requested Forest Ranger assistance for an injured hiker on Overlook Mountain in the area of Echo Lake. Rangers called the hiker’s daughter and learned the 78-year-old from France was unable to walk or even sit up.
Rangers Franceschina and Martin joined Woodstock Fire and a Woodstock Paramedic and found the subject at 4 p.m. The paramedic suspected the subject had a fractured pelvis. New York State Police Aviation Pilots Leeder and Celestine were called in to help perform a hoist rescue.
Rangers, Fire Department personnel, and the Catskill Center Steward located and carried the patient to a site 300 feet uphill that would work as a hoist location.
Ranger Cowart lowered Ranger Rusher who helped package the subject. At 5:15 p.m., Ranger Cowart successfully hoisted the hiker into the helicopter, and they flew to the hospital. You can see video of the hoist here.
Town of Keene
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On Oct. 12 at 3:15 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from two hikers on the Trap Dike in the Adirondack High Peaks. The pair were no longer able to move in any direction due to the steep and wet conditions. New York State Police Aviation Pilot Zakris was called in to fly three Forest Rangers to the location to perform a technical rope rescue.
It was too wet and unsafe to rescue the pair from below, so Rangers climbed to the top of the dike and rappelled down to the subjects. At 5:30 p.m., Rangers reached the 42-year-old and 43-year-old from Quebec and lowered the pair to the trap dike. Rangers warmed and fed the hikers, took the pair across the lake by boat, and hiked them to Marcy Dam. The subjects reached their vehicles at the trailhead at 2:45 a.m.
Town of Harrietstown
Franklin Countye
Wilderness Rescue: On Oct. 13 at 1:45 a.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a distress call from a satellite device indicating a hiker had suffered a knee injury on the Northville-Placid Trail.
The 46-year-old from Canastota advised she would camp out for the night and requested Forest Ranger assistance the following morning. The next day, Rangers Curcio, Nahor, and Scott reached the subject, splinted her leg, and assisted her back to her vehicle. Resources were clear at 4:30 p.m.
Read past Forest Ranger search and rescue reports here.
Photo of Trap Dike rescue provided by DEC.
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