Adirondack Base Camp header image

Entries Tagged as 'washington county'

Adirondack Forest Ranger Search and Rescue Highlights: 9/14-9/20/15

September 21st, 2015 · No Comments · Adirondack News

NYSDEC LogoNew 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 North Elba – High Peaks Wilderness
Injured hiker: On September 16, 2015 at 11:30 a.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from ADK Loj reporting it had been notified of an injured hiker approximately 20 minutes above the Street and Nye Mountain junction on the Street Mountain trail. The 24-year-old woman from Cold Springs, NY fell and sustained a lower leg injury. DEC Forest Rangers responded to Adirondack Loj and reached the injured woman at 2:15 p.m. They provided first aid and she managed to walk out slowly with assistance. They returned to Adirondack Loj at 6:15 p.m. The woman drove herself to Adirondack Medical Center – Lake Placid for treatment.

Town of Keene – High Peaks Wilderness
Distressed hiker: On September 19, 2015 at 6:17 p.m., Essex County 911 contacted DEC Ray Brook Dispatch reporting a 23-year-old man from New London, CT in medical distress approximately ΒΌ of a mile up the Big Slide trail from the Garden parking area. 911 dispatched the Keene Fire Department and Keene Valley Fire Department and EMS at the time of the call. DEC Forest Rangers responded to the Garden parking area. Fire Department personnel, with assistance from Forest Rangers, loaded the man into a litter and carried him back to the trailhead. The Keene Valley Ambulance transported him to Elizabethtown Community Hospital for treatment. The incident concluded at 7:37 p.m.

Town of Keene – High Peaks Wilderness
Stranded climbers: On September 20, 2015 at 6:20 p.m., a 45-year-old female hiker from Corinth, NY contacted DEC Ray Brook Dispatch reporting that she and her climbing companion, a 52-year-old woman also from Corinth, NY, were unable to descend Cascade Falls. The pair climbed Cascade Falls with the intention of bushwhacking back to the main trail, but they became disoriented once they reached the top of the falls and determined they could not safely make it back down. DEC Forest Rangers responded to assist the women back down. They short roped and belayed them to the base of the falls and escorted them back to their vehicle at the Cascade Day Use Area. The incident concluded at 9:30 p.m.

St. Lawrence County
Town of Clifton – Cranberry Lake Wild Forest
Injured hiker: On September 14, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. a DEC Forest Ranger advised DEC Ray Brook Dispatch of radio traffic dispatching the Cranberry Lake Fire Department to Bear Mountain to assist an injured 65-year-old female hiker from Luts, FL. The Forest Ranger responded along with Cranberry Lake and Star Lake Fire Department personnel. The hiker had fallen on a root near the summit and sustained a lower leg injury. They carried the woman out in a litter to the trailhead. Cranberry Lake Rescue transported her to Clifton-Fine Hospital in Star Lake at 9:30 p.m.

Warren County
Town of Bolton – Lake George Wild Forest
Distressed hiker: On September 15, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. Warren County 911 contacted DEC Ray Brook Dispatch about a 65-year-old male hiker from Clifton Park, NY in medical distress on Cat Mountain trail, approximately 15 minutes from the Cat & Thomas Mountain trailhead. The man had hiked Mount Severance in Schroon Lake that morning and then met a friend to hike Cat & Thomas Mountains. As they were headed back to the Cat Mountain trailhead the hiker collapsed on the trail. One Forest Ranger responded along with members of the Bolton Fire Department and EMS. They carried the hiker back to the trailhead at 6:25 p.m. and Bolton EMS transported him to Glens Falls hospital.

Washington County
Town of Fort Ann – Lake George Wild Forest
Lost hiker: On September 16, 2015 at 11:33 a.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from the friend of a 30-year-old female hiker from Fort Ann, NY lost on the trail to Inman Pond. DEC Dispatch made contact with her by text message and she told them she was near the pond but not on the trail. DEC Forest Rangers responded to the Inman Pond trailhead off Shelving Rock Road where they located the woman’s vehicle. DEC Dispatch advised the woman to contact 911 to obtain her GPS coordinates, but the coordinates obtained were not usable.

Forest Rangers then used binoculars to scan Crossett Lake and located the woman. At 2:17 p.m. Forest Rangers established voice contact at the northwest end of Crossett Pond. They escorted her back to trailhead at 3:35 p.m. and gave her a courtesy ride back to her vehicle.

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

Tags: ······

Adirondack Forest Ranger Search and Rescue Highlights: 8/24-8/30/15

September 1st, 2015 · No Comments · Adirondack News

NYSDEC LogoNew 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 DEC Acting 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:

Warren County
Town of Chester – Private Land
Lost youth: On August 24, 2015 at 7:30 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a transferred call from Warren County 911 from a 15-year-old lost male from Gormley, Ontario, Canada. The boy, vacationing with family nearby, had gone for a run and gotten lost on logging trails on private property. A DEC Forest Ranger used GPS coordinates from the teen’s cell phone to locate the boy in good health at 8:45 p.m. The Ranger returned him to his family at 9:30 p.m.

Washington County
Town of Fort Ann – Lake George Wild Forest
Lost hiker: On August 25, 2015 at 11:36 a.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a transferred call from Warren County 911 from a 51-year-old woman from Buffalo, NY, lost on Buck Mountain. She left from the Pilot Knob side of Buck Mountain at 10:30 a.m., and became lost at 11:20 a.m. The woman then directly called Ray Brook Dispatch with coordinates and elevation bearings from her cell phone, which placed her near the Butternut Creek on Buck Mountain. Dispatch told her to wait there, while two DEC Forest Rangers responded to the area. One Forest Ranger entered Buck Mountain through the Pilot Knob side while the other Forest Ranger entered through the Inman Pond Trail. They located her near Butternut Creek at 1:50 p.m. and escorted her back to her vehicle. The incident concluded at 3:01 p.m.

Town of Fort Ann – Lake George Wild Forest
Lost hikers: On August 30, 2015 at 7:13 p.m., Washington County 911 transferred a call to DEC Ray Brook Dispatch from a male hiker, lost with his 18-year-old daughter on the Shelving Rock Trail System. A DEC Forest Ranger made direct contact with the father and located the pair at 10:38 p.m. The Ranger escorted them out of the woods and back to their vehicle at 11:06 p.m.

Essex County
Town of North Elba – High Peaks Wilderness
Distressed hiker: On August 27, 2015 at 4:50 p.m., Essex County 911 transferred a call to DEC Ray Brook Dispatch from a 39-year-old woman in medical distress on top of Algonquin Mountain. A DEC Forest Ranger spoke to the woman and determined an aviation rescue was necessary. New York State Police Aviation inserted a Forest Ranger to access and prepare the woman for hoist. At 6:39 p.m., they hoisted her off the summit and transported her to Adirondack Health Center in Saranac Lake for further medical treatment.

Town of Keene – High Peaks Wilderness
Distressed hiker: On August 27, 2015 at 5:00 p.m., DEC Ray Brook received a radio call from Johns Brook Loj reporting a 77-year-old woman from New York, NY in medical distress approximately .5 miles from Johns Brook Loj. Hikers who encountered the woman along the trail reported her status to Loj staff members. Loj staff members assessed the woman and assisted her back to the Loj. New York State Police Aviation transported two DEC Forest Rangers into Johns Brook Valley. The woman was airlifted to Marcy Field where she was transferred to Keene Valley EMS and taken to Elizabethtown Hospital for further medical treatment.

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

Tags: ····

Adirondack Forest Ranger Search and Rescue Highlights: 7/27- 8/3/15

August 6th, 2015 · No Comments · Adirondack News

NYSDEC LogoNew 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 DEC Commissioner Joe Martens. “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 North Elba – High Peaks Wilderness
Injured hiker: On July 29, 2015 at 5:02 p.m., DEC Central Dispatch received a request for assistance for an injured 23-year-old female hiker from Chicago, IL, located one mile from Indian Falls on the Marcy trail. DEC Forest Rangers reached the woman at 5:21 p.m. and requested a hoist. Additional Forest Rangers responded to the Lake Placid Airport for pick up. They hoisted the woman out near Indian Falls and a helicopter transported her to AMC Saranac Lake for treatment. The incident concluded at 8:30 p.m.

Town of Lewis – Giant Mountain Wilderness
Injured hiker: On July 30, 2015 at 4:46 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for assistance for an injured 32-year-old female hiker from Washington, DC, located one mile in on the Rocky Peak Ridge Trail on Giant Mountain. The injured hiker and her hiking companions administered basic first aid and continued walking. DEC Forest Rangers reached the party at 6:00 p.m. and assisted the woman out to the trailhead at 6:36 p.m. The woman and her companions followed a Forest Ranger to Elizabethtown Hospital where she sought treatment. The incident concluded at 7:00 p.m.

Town of Lewis – Giant Mountain Wilderness
Lost hikers: On July 31, 2015 at 9:25 p.m., a passing motorist contacted DEC Ray Brook Dispatch reporting two girls at the Roaring Brook Trailhead off Route 73 had become separated from three other members of their hiking party. The three other members included a 53-year-old man from Hilton, NY, a 46-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl, both from Kendall, NY, who were last seen on the Roaring Brook Trail. DEC Forest Rangers responded to the area and made voice contact with the missing hikers at 11:20 p.m. They located them, in good condition, at 11:30 p.m. The Rangers escorted the three hikers down the Roaring Brook Falls Trail and reunited them with the rest of their party. The incident concluded at 1:24 a.m. on August 1.

Town of Keene – High Peaks Wilderness
Distressed hiker: On August 1, 2015 at 8:44 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch overheard traffic on the radio from John’s Brook Loj reporting a 22-year-old man from Deruyter, NY in medical distress at the facility. DEC Forest Rangers responded to the Garden in John’s Brook Valley and entered the Southside Trail on ATVs. Rangers reached the man at 12:20 a.m. on August 2. They evaluated and treated him before loading him into a litter and transporting him out by ATV to Lockwood Field. Rangers transported the man to a Keene Valley Ambulance, which took him to Elizabethtown Hospital for treatment. The incident concluded at 3:20 a.m.

St. Lawrence County
Town of Clifton – Cranberry Lake Wild Forest
Distressed camper: On July 31, 2015 at 2:10 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for assistance for a 59-year-old man from Staten Island, NY in medical distress on the Cranberry Lake 50 Trail. DEC Forest Rangers responded by boat and located the man at site #10. They transported him to a nearby DEC maintenance facility where a Cranberry Lake Ambulance took him to a nearby hospital for treatment. The incident concluded at 3:15 p.m.

Washington County
Town of Fort Ann – Lake George Wild Forest
Stranded hikers: On July 30, 2015 at 9:41 p.m., DEC Central Dispatch received a request for assistance for two hikers stranded at the summit of Buck Mountain. The 20-year-old woman from Corinth, NY and the 20-year-old man from Lake Luzerne, NY set out for a hike at 5 p.m. from Pilot Knob and reached the summit near dusk. As darkness fell they headed back down, but had difficulty locating the trail. The pair turned around and re-summited the mountain to call for assistance. DEC Forest Rangers responded and located the pair at 1:24 a.m. on July 31. Rangers escorted them out to Shelving Rock Road where New York State Police gave them a ride back to their vehicle at Pilot Knob. The incident concluded at 2:49 a.m.

Town of Dresden – Lake George Wild Forest
Lost hiker: On August 2, 2015 at 6:20 p.m., Washington County 911 contacted DEC Ray Brook Dispatch regarding a lost 19-year-old female hiker from Huletts Landing, NY on Spruce Mountain. Vermont State Police relayed the information about the hiker to Washington County 911. The woman had reached the summit and lost the trail while descending. DEC Forest Rangers responded. Her family located her in good health at approximately 8:20 p.m. and walked her out to the trailhead where a Forest Ranger waited. The incident concluded at 9:00 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.

Tags: ····