New York forest rangers say three hikers who had to be rescued in the Adirondacks over the weekend were wearing sneakers and were unprepared for the backcountry.
According to New York Department of Environmental Conservation officials, rangers received of a report of a 911 call at 3:25 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, stating three hikers were lost on Giant Mountain. The mountain stands 4,626 feet high and is the 12th tallest peak in the Adirondacks.
The three hikers – two were 21-years-old and the third was 19 – reported they needed help relocating the trail.
Rangers were dispatched to the Giant Mountain Wilderness to search for the hikers, and at 5:10 p.m., voice contact was made with the subjects.
By 5:52 p.m., rangers located the subjects in good but tired condition. Rangers said the hikers were wearing sneakers and were unprepared for the backcountry hike.
The subjects slowly made their way back to the trailhead and the incident concluded at 6:15 p.m.
In other Adirondack hiking news, two hikers each died of apparent heart attacks while hiking in the Adirondacks in separate incidents over the weekend.
On Friday, March 15, officials with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation received a request for assistance for a 51-year-old male hiker from Plattsburgh, New York. The subject was in medical distress at the top of Blueberry Hill Trail in Elizabethtown, New York. At the time of the call, Essex County 911 dispatch advised they would also be sending Elizabethtown Ambulance.
Rangers were dispatched to the hiker’s location, and as rangers and EMS were responding, the subject went into cardiac arrest. Rangers and EMS performed CPR and employed an automated external defibrillator, but the subject remained unresponsive. New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation personnel arrived on scene and assisted with recovery efforts. The hiker was transferred to the Essex County Coroner.
In a separate incident on Sunday, March 17, Department of Environmental Conservation officials received a report of a hiker in distress on Catamount Mountain in Clinton County. The caller reported that a 52-year-old male from Glen Falls had collapsed while taking a break and was unresponsive. Ray Brook Dispatch provided assistance to the caller and dispatched rangers to the scene at Taylor Pond Wild Forest.
Rangers responded with snowmobiles for rapid access to the patient. Au Sable Fork’s Ambulance Service was also on scene with the New York State Police. Rangers made their way to the group by 2:30 p.m. After an hour of CPR, the male hiker was pronounced deceased.
Also last week, rangers rescued a stranded hiker on Friday mountain.
At roughly 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 17, rangers received a call from Ulster County 911 about a stranded male hiker on Friday Mountain in the town of Shandaken. The hiker reportedly was having difficulty descending the mountain due to steep, icy terrain. The 59-year-old from New Windsor became disoriented and lost the trail.
Rangers responded to the subject’s location, however, the coordinates were unreliable, hampering search efforts. With nightfall approaching, rangers contacted State Police Aviation out of Newburgh to assist in locating the subject. At 7:24 p.m., rangers located the subject and escorted him back to the trailhead.