A rescue crew comprised of New York forest rangers and several volunteers recently endured difficult conditions and long hours to rescue an injured hiker in the Adirondacks.
According to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, a hiker in New York’s Essex County called 911 shortly after noon on Saturday, February 3 to report that his hiking partner had fallen 10 feet off an icy cliff on Saddleback Mountain, injuring his leg. The injured hiker reportedly couldn’t bear weight on one leg.
Difficult weather conditions that included high winds, snow and cloud cover made it impossible to use a rescue helicopter, so state forest rangers hiked in and set up a base camp. They located the hikers shortly before 5 a.m. on Sunday.
Crews carried the injured hiker out of the woods by 1 a.m. on Monday, and the hiker was taken to a nearby hospital.
In all, rescue crews made up of 34 forest rangers and 12 volunteers braved high winds and snow over the course of the roughly 37-hour rescue operation.