Injured hiker hauled off Marcy

Helicopter-aided rangers rescue Schenectady man

By Mike Lynch

Rescuers spent nearly 12 hours getting a Mount Marcy hiker out of the woods during an ordeal that started Sunday afternoon and ended early Monday morning. 

A 57-year-old man from Schenectday suffered a “significant” knee injury about 4.5 miles from the Van Hoevenberg trailhead on the Adirondack Mountain Club’s property at an area known as the Corkscrew. He had been hiking with his 15-year-old son. 

The grueling mission included hauling the hiker for more than three miles down the steep trail using backpack carriers, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. 

Ten rangers, two assistant rangers and three volunteers from Search and Rescue of the Northern Adirondacks (SARNAK) and Northeast Mobile Search and Rescue (NEMSAR) helped in the assignment, which started at 3:30 p.m.

At 6 p.m., a state police helicopter dropped a ranger near Indian Falls, a mile below the hiker. The ranger hiked to the injured man and began administering first aid. He was soon joined by the rest of the crew, which carried him down the steep trail. 

The first efforts to lower the ranger from the helicopter were thwarted due to strong winds. 

An ambulance from Lake Placid emergency services collected the hiker at the trailhead at about 3 a.m. and took him to a local hospital.