A pair of hikers with no map or compass had to be rescued after they got lost while bushwhacking in the Adirondacks on Saturday.
According to New York Department of Environmental Conservation officials, forest rangers received a call from two hikers who were lost and unable to move on the south side of Bear Den Mountain in Keene, New York at 4:08 p.m. on Saturday, September 20.
The hikers were reportedly attempting to hike and bushwhack Dial Mountain via Gravestone Brook.
Rangers said the hikers had no experience bushwhacking and were hiking without a map, compass, headlamp, or extra layers. They also had not planned the return to their car after hiking to the summit.
The hikers called forest rangers after getting stuck in thick spruce.
At 7:40 p.m., a forest ranger hiked up the Leech Trail and bushwhacked to the hikers.
The ranger provided the 32-year-old from Syracuse and 36-year-old from Irondequoit with food, water, and headlamps, and assisted them to the Round Pond trailhead. Resources were clear at 10:15 p.m.
Rangers suggest hikers plan for a hike before heading out, including finding out how long the hike could take, but to also pack enough that you can survive the night in case things don’t go as planned.
View the 10 hiking essentials on the DEC website.
Read our 10 hiking safety tips before hiting the backcountry here.
