Forest rangers in New York rescued a hiker who reportedly underestimated a hike in the Catskills, became exhausted and needed to be rescued earlier this week.
According to officials with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, rangers received a call at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 5 from a hiker requesting help due to exhaustion on the Slide-Cornell-Wittenberg Trail in Shandaken, New York.
The 37-year-old from Rego Park had reportedly planned to hike the “Catskill 9,” a demanding 20-mile hike with nearly 6,000 feet of elevation gain that summits nine Catskill peaks, including Peekamoose, Table, and Slide mountains.
The hiker reportedly said they underestimated the difficulty of the hike, which was made more challenging due to heavy rain and fog.
After camping the night before, the hiker decided to skip Cornell and Wittenberg Mountains and planned to hike over Slide Mountain back to the Denning Road Trailhead. While making that hike, the hiker decided they couldn’t continue and called for help.
A forest ranger contacted the hiker by phone and encouraged them to drink water and head towards the Slide Mountain Trailhead.
Two rangers hiked in and met the hiker on the trail, provided hot tea and food, and assisted them to the trailhead. Resources were clear at 1:45 p.m.
