Rangers locate overdue, injured Marcy hiker

Recent NYS DEC Forest Ranger actions:

Town of North Elba
Essex County
Wilderness Search: On July 22 at 11 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a pair of hikers reporting that a member of their party was overdue from hiking Mount Marcy in the High Peaks Wilderness Area. Forest Ranger LaPierre responded to the Adirondak Loj parking lot to interview the reporting party. At 1:36 a.m., Ranger LaPierre located the 33-year-old subject from New York City up the trail from Marcy Dam. The subject had suffered a knee injury, was unable to walk, and likely dehydrated. The Ranger splinted the injury and provided the hiker with warmth, food, and water. She escorted the hiker back to the outpost and set him up in a sleeping bag so he could rest while the Ranger continued back to the Loj. Ranger LaPierre then drove a UTV in to pick up the subject, and at 4:45 a.m., the hiker was reunited with his party and taken for further medical care.

Wakely Dam Ultra Marathon
Hamilton County
Planned Event: On July 24, Forest Rangers Nally, Scott, and Lomnitzer and Assistant Forest Ranger O’Connell, along with Piseco EMS, provided event and emergency response support for the Wakely Dam Ultra Marathon. The 60-person ultra-marathon began at Wakely Dam in the Moose River Plains Recreational Area and continued down the Northville Lake Placid Trail through the West Canada Lakes Wilderness Area ending at the Piseco Airport in the town of Arietta. Forest Rangers coordinated with race officials and prepositioned themselves in the interior of the wilderness, where they were able to assist and evacuate two injured race participants during the 10-hour race.

Town of Fort Ann
Washington County
Wilderness Search: On July 24 at 7:22 p.m., Forest Rangers Donegan and Savarie responded to a call for help from a group of hikers on Buck Mountain in the Lake George Wilderness Area. The hikers reported that while exploring the summit of the mountain, a 14-year-old hiker from Mahwah, New Jersey, walked away from the group and was missing. While Rangers were hiking in to meet the party, the missing girl made her way off the mountain to a trailhead on the other side. Ranger Donegan met up with the group of hikers and escorted them off the mountain, reuniting them with the missing girl at 11:25 p.m.

Statewide
Forest Ranger Contact Information Update: DEC has moved to a single number for dispatch. If a person needs a Forest Ranger, for a search and rescue or to report a wildfire, they should call 833-NYS-RANGERS (833-697-7264). People in need of urgent assistance should continue to call 911. To contact a Forest Ranger for information about a specific location, visit the DEC website.

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.