New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. 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 backcountry.

“DEC Forest Rangers’ knowledge of first aid, land navigation and technical rescue techniques are often critical to the success of their missions,” said Acting DEC Commissioner Marc Gerstman. “Search and rescue missions often require Rangers to function in remote wilderness areas from rugged mountainous peaks to white-water rivers, and through vast forest areas from spruce-fir thicket to open hardwoods.”

Recent missions carried out by DEC Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks include:

Essex County
Town of Jay – Private Land
Lost Individual: On October 6, 2015 at 9:39 a.m. Essex County 911 transferred a call to DEC Ray Brook Dispatch reporting a lost 60-year-old woman from Jay, NY. The woman followed her dog into a wooded area on private property and could not find her way out. Essex County 911 provided the woman’s GPS coordinates to DEC Dispatch. A DEC Forest Ranger responded and located the woman at 10:58 a.m. in good condition. The Ranger escorted her back to her vehicle.

Town of Keene – Hurricane Mountain Primitive Area
Lost Hikers: On October 10, 2015 at 6:03 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for assistance from two hikers who had gone off trail coming down Weston Mountain to Crow Clearing. Essex County 911 obtained GPS coordinates which placed the 34-year-old woman and 28-year-old man, both from Chicago, IL approximately 30-40 yards off trail. DEC Forest Rangers responded to Crow Clearing and headed in the hikers direction, based on the coordinates. Rangers located the pair on the trail at 7:28 p.m., gave them food and water and escorted them back to the trailhead. The incident concluded 8:30 p.m.

Town of Keene – High Peaks Wilderness
Overdue Hikers: On October 10, 2015 at 10:22 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a hiker reporting that two members of his hiking party, a 22-year-old woman and 24-year-old man, both from Buffalo, NY had not returned from hiking Gothics. A DEC Forest Ranger responded to the Garden parking lot and interviewed the reporting party. Rangers determined it would be best to start searching for the subjects at first light the following morning. At 6:30 a.m., three Forest Rangers began searching for the missing hikers via the Garden parking lot. Dispatch received a call from the reporting party at 9:50 a.m. that the missing hikers found their way out and returned to the Wilmington Notch Campground where they were staying. Forest Rangers aborted their search efforts after being notified.

Town of North Elba – High Peaks Wilderness
Injured Hiker: On October 11, 2015 at 4:32 p.m., DEC Ray Brook received a call from a hiker reporting that a 31-year-old female member of her hiking party sustained a lower leg injury. It happened during a hike from Lake Arnold, approximately one mile from Marcy Dam. Members of the hiking party assisted the injured woman to Marcy Dam. Ray Brook Dispatch contacted the Marcy Dam caretaker to meet the party and assist in transporting her to the outpost, while a DEC Forest Ranger responded to Marcy Dam on a Utility Terrain Vehicle. The Ranger transported the woman back to her vehicle where she said she would seek medical attention on her own. The incident concluded at 7:00 p.m.

Franklin County
Town of Brighton – St. Regis Canoe Area
Lost Hunter: On October 10, 2015 at 4:30 p.m., campus safety at Paul Smith’s College contacted DEC Ray Brook Dispatch reporting a lost student. The 26-year-old man from Elma, NY went hunting off Keese Mills Rd. near the college and did not return. DEC Forest Rangers responded to the area and located the man’s vehicle. Dispatch advised the hunter to call Franklin County 911 to obtain coordinates from his phone. The coordinates provided were inaccurate and Rangers determined the man was farther away than anticipated. Rangers used shouting and gun shots to locate the man at 9:36 p.m. and then escorted him to his vehicle. The incident concluded at 10:30 p.m.

Herkimer County
Town of Webb – Fulton Chain Wild Forest
Injured Hiker: On October 10, 2015 at 2:12 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Herkimer County 911 requesting assistance for a 54-year-old woman from Syracuse, NY with a leg injury on Bald Mountain. DEC Forest Rangers arrived on scene and headed up the mountain along with Webb Police and the Old Forge Fire and Rescue Squad. They packaged the woman at the summit and carried her down to the trailhead. Once at the trailhead she told Rangers she would seek medical attention on her own. The incident concluded at 4:46 p.m.

Warren County
Town of Bolton – Cat and Thomas Mountain Preserve Conservation Easement Lands
Lost Hikers: On October 7, 2015 at 5:55 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call reporting a 59-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman, both from Sarasota, FL became disoriented while hiking the Cat and Thomas Mountain Preserve Trail and could not determine which trail to take back to the trailhead. The hikers called 911 requesting assistance. A DEC Forest Ranger responded to the trailhead on Valley Woods Road in Bolton Landing, located the man and woman at 9:00 p.m., and escorted them back to the trailhead by 10:30 p.m.

Town of Bolton – Lake George Wild Forest
Lost Hikers: On October 9, 2015 at 11:44 a.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a hiker and his companion reporting they were lost on the South Trail, 5th Point Peak, in the Tongue Mountain Range. The men, both 29, one from Saratoga Springs, NY and the other from Troy, NY became disoriented that morning after camping on 5th Peak. Warren County 911 obtained GPS coordinates that placed the men close to the shoreline of Lake George. DEC Forest Rangers used a boat from Green Island to travel up Lake George to their location. The Rangers located the men at 1:58 p.m. in good condition and transported them to Green Island by boat. Rangers then gave the men a ride from a Forest Ranger Patrol vehicle back to their own vehicle parked at the 5th Peak trailhead. The incident concluded at 3:00 p.m.

Washington County
Town of Fort Ann – Lake George Wild Forest
Lost Hikers: On October 11, 2015 at 6:30 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Washington County 911 reporting two hikers lost near Inman Pond. Two DEC Forest Rangers responded to the Inman Pond Trailhead. At 7:00 p.m. the 64-year-old man from Charlton, NY and the 61-year-old woman from Saratoga Springs, NY contacted DEC Ray Brook Dispatch via cell phone. Dispatch instructed the lost hikers on how to get coordinates from their iPhone and then relayed those coordinates to the Forest Rangers at the trailhead. At approximately 7:47 p.m., Forest Rangers located the hikers and escorted them back to the trailhead without further incident.

Town of Fort Ann – Lake George Wild Forest
Injured Hiker: On October 12, 2015 at 2:37 p.m., DEC Ray Brook received a call from a passing hiker reporting an injured female hiker approximately 1/2 mile from the summit of Sleeping Beauty. DEC Forest Rangers responded to the Dacy Clearing Parking area. The West Ft. Ann Fire and Rescue Squad also responded and set up a staging area at the Upper Hogtown parking area. Rangers located the 48-year-old woman from Gansevoort, NY at 3:39 p.m. and provided her with first aid for the injury. They escorted her out to the trailhead where Fort Ann EMS assessed her and she declined any additional medical treatment. The incident concluded at 4:31 p.m.

Town of Fort Ann – Lake George Wild Forest
Injured Hiker: On October 12, 2015 at 4:00 p.m., DEC Forest Rangers responded to a report of a 46-year-old woman from Clifton Park, NY with a lower leg injury along the Sleeping Beauty trail system. Rangers assessed the woman and provided first aid before escorting her out to the trailhead where the Fort Ann EMS assessed her further. The woman then declined any additional medical treatment. The incident concluded at 4:31 p.m.

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s Hiking Safety and Adirondack Trail Information webpages for more information.