Forest rangers in New York responded to several separate incidents last week in which they rescued injured hikers and lost hunters.
On Tueday, October 17 at 1:10 p.m., New York Department of Environmental Conservation officials received a call about a hiker with a possible broken ankle near Chapel Pond in the town of Keene. Five forest rangers responded.
The first rangers reached the 60-year-old from the state of Florida at 1:48 p.m. Rangers splinted the subject’s ankle and helped him back to the trailhead. The subject declined further medical care.
On Wednesay, October 18 at 9:10 p.m., rangers responded to a report of an overdue hunter. The subject was last seen at 4 p.m. at a hunting club in Stony Creek. Rangers searched overnight.
At sunrise, nine Rangers joined the search and at 9 a.m., Ranger Nahor located the 58-year-old from Pleasant Valley in good health. The hunter had gotten lost behind the club the evening prior, hiked along a drainage in the morning, and ended up approximately one mile from the road.
On Thursday, October 19 at 6:41 p.m., Lieutenant Booth and rangers Bode, Martin, and Quinn responded to a call for a hiker with a knee injury near the summit of Hurricane Mountain.
At 7:45 p.m., Ranger Quinn reached the 52-year-old from Rotterdam Junction, splinted the hiker’s injury, and provided crutches. When the rangers reached the subject’s vehicle, he declined further medical attention.
On Saturday, October 21 at 9:19 p.m., rangers were called to assist in the search for an overdue hunter in the Pepperbox Wilderness in the town of Webb. The hunter had mobility issues and his ATV was still at his camp.
Rangers Lee and Maxwell searched through the night. At 3 a.m., rangers located the hunter’s tracks, which led them to a spruce swamp where they found the 62-year-old from Ilion at 6:20 a.m.
The missing hunter was suffering from mild hypothermia due to the cold temperatures and heavy rain. Rangers warmed the subject and transported him back to his camp at 9 a.m.