A hiker who was cold and wet and without a headlamp was rescued on Esther Mountain by forest rangers in New York last week. It was one of several rescues conducted by rangers last week.
According to officials with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, rangers received a report of a lost hiker on Esther Mountain (4,240 feet) in Wilmington, New York at 7:34 p.m. on Monday, October 20.
A ranger made contact with the 76-year-old from Rochester, who reported being cold and wet and only had seven percent charge left on a cell phone.
The ranger started hiking in and advised the hiker to continue hiking on the trail to stay warm.
At 8:25 p.m., the hiker called to report part of a tree was blocking the trail and the hiker could not navigate around it.
At 9:17 p.m., the ranger reached the hiker, provided warm clothes, hand warmers, and a headlamp, and assisted the hiker down the Marble Mountain Trail to the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center trailhead. Resources were clear at 12:09 a.m.
On Saturday, October 25, forest rangers received a call about three hikers between Seward and Donaldson Mountains in Harrietstown requesting assistance because they were cold, wet, and did not have any dry layers with them.
One hiker was also experiencing leg cramping.
Three forest rangers located the hikers from Buffalo and assisted them to their vehicles. Resources were clear at 10:23 p.m.
On Sunday, October 26, rangers received a call at 4:46 p.m. from two hikers who stated they were lost off trail at Jensen’s Ledges in Hancock.
A ranger spoke with the hikers from Brooklyn and obtained coordinates.
By 7 p.m., the ranger located the hikers at their coordinates and assisted them back to their vehicle.
