New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State locating and extracting lost, injured or distressed people and policing state lands.
This report of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers was prepared by DEC:
Town of North Elba, Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 27 at 5:10 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call about a hiker with an unstable leg injury one mile beyond Indian Pass Brook in the Adirondack High Peaks. Eight Forest Rangers and a paramedic responded and reached the patient by 9:25 p.m.
The 26-year-old from Deposit, NY had broken her leg in multiple places. Rangers and the paramedic stabilized the leg then packaged the hiker in a litter. Rangers used a backpack carrier system for the three-mile carryout through rocky terrain and ankle-deep water to an Essex County ambulance. Resources were clear at 3:07 a.m. Video of part of the rescue is available here.
Town of Indian Lake, Hamilton County
Law Enforcement: On May 27 at 6 p.m., Forest Rangers Milano and Snye responded to the Lake Durant Campground to assist with an eviction. The caretaker had reported loud campers had caused a disturbance the previous night. Rangers issued seven tickets for charges including underage alcohol possession and leaving a fire unattended. Rangers remained on site to ensure the campers cleaned the area before they left and were safe to drive.
Town of Windham, Greene County
Wilderness Search: On May 27 at 10:30 p.m., Forest Rangers Commerford, Fox, and Peterson responded to a call for an overdue hiker last seen near the Blackhead Mountain summit in the Catskills at 1:30 p.m. Rangers searched with Windham Police and Greene County Sheriff’s Deputies.
At 6:30 a.m., Rangers located the 24-year-old from Brooklyn walking down a drainage area, seven miles from his last known point. Rangers assessed the hiker for any medical concerns and provided a courtesy ride to his vehicle at the Big Hollow Road trailhead.
Town of Long Lake, Hamilton County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 28 at 4:15 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch called Forest Ranger Baldwin about a group stranded on the north shore of Little Tupper Lake in the William C. Whitney Wilderness after their inflatable boat was punctured. Coordinates placed the group on site #1 on Little Tupper Lake.
Ranger Baldwin and Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy Skibinski bushwhacked into the site and at 5:10 p.m., found two 21-year-olds from New Jersey. The pair told rescuers there was another person in their party in an inflatable boat heading toward site #4 where their party was camping. At 5:45 p.m., rescuers called the camping party and learned the third person in the boat had not returned.
Ranger Baldwin flew his drone but could not find the missing boater. At 7:30 p.m., rescuers used an inflatable boat to search the north side of the lake while trying to make voice contact with the missing subject. Two additional Rangers responded to search the Burn Road trail.
At 8:30 p.m., the campers reported to rescuers that the missing boater had arrived on foot. The 21-year-old from New Jersey reported he had gotten lost and was eventually picked up by a Good Samaritan who dropped him off at the trailhead.
Town of North Elba, Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 30 at 5:45 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a hiker who was off trail on Mount Jo in the Adirondack High Peaks. Forest Rangers called the 52-year-old hiker from Chittenango and guided him back to the trail over the phone. Rangers met the hiker to ensure he remained on trail and escorted him back to Adirondak Loj.
Town of Keene, Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 31 at 4:20 p.m., Essex County 911 contacted Ray Brook Dispatch about a 911 text received from a hiker reporting he and his hiking partner were stranded due to rising stream levels on the Roaring Book trail in the Giant Mountain Wilderness. Forest Rangers hiked to the subjects’ location, helped them cross the brook, and escorted the hikers back to the trailhead.
Town of Long Lake, Hamilton County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 31 at 8 p.m., campers at the Hidden Cove lean-to, a popular backcountry camping shelter on the Northville-Placid Trail on the eastern shore of Long Lake called Ray Brook Dispatch to report they needed help getting out of their campsite due to a damaged boat.
The site is only accessible by boat. Rangers Corey and Nahor responded to the Long Lake boat launch for a boat. By 9 p.m., Rangers extracted the campers from Bath, Steuben County, out of their campsite.
Read past Forest Ranger search and rescue reports here.
Photo of Indian Pass Brook rescue provided by DEC.
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