A hiker reportedly died while hiking Mount Marcy in New York last week.
According to New York Department of Environmental Conservation officials, the body of a 21-year-old hiker from New Jersey was found near the summit of Mount Marcy on Thursday evening.
Standing at 5,344 feet, Mount Marcy is New York’s highest peak.
DEC officials said the hiker had called 911 shortly after 3 p.m. on Thursday, February 12 to say they had slipped and could not get back on the trail. The hiker was reportedly hiking with a dog.
While forest rangers responded to the scene from the ground, two rangers responded by air with the help of a New York State Police helicopter. However, they were unable to see the hiker due to heavy cloud cover around the summit.
At around 6 p.m., one of the rangers from the helicopter was lowered to the ground near Marcy Dam and began hiking toward the summit, which was roughly five miles away with almost 3,000 feet of climbing. The ranger discovered the body of the hiker near the summit shortly before 10 p.m.
Officials said the dog was alive and hiked out with rangers.
The body of the hiker was unable to be removed from the summit at the time due to poor weather. Rangers were able to fly in Friday morning with the help of a New York State Police helicopter to retrieve the body.
No other information about the hiker’s death was available.
