The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
By Phil Brown
State forest rangers and law-enforcement personnel searching for a missing hunter found him “in an unresponsive state,” evidently under the influence of drugs, in central New York over the weekend. The search for the hunter is one of four incidents in DEC’s latest Ranger Report. The full report follows: Town of Colonie Albany County Prescribed…
By Phil Brown
Last week’s Forest Ranger Report from the Department of Environmental Conservation noted that a ranger had to rescue two hikers overtaken by darkness on Thomas Mountain. In this week’s Ranger Report, three of the five incidents involved searches for people benighted in the woods. In all four of these incidents, the people rescued failed to bring…
By Phil Brown
Two hikers from New York City got lost on Thomas Mountain near Lake George but managed to find their way to the cabin near the summit. Presumably, they were coming from Cat Mountain as the trail can be a bit hard to follow after leaves have fallen. From the cabin, you merely follow an…
By Phil Brown
State forest rangers responded to a number of requests for help from hikers and hunters November 6-12. One hiker from Ballston Spa got lost on Algonquin Peak and set off his inReach device. Rangers responded to the emergency call, but the hiker eventually got out on his own. Following is the Rangers’ Report for the…
By Phil Brown
In the latest Forest Ranger report, DEC says a ranger rescued a man who called for help on a trail near Marcy Dam. It was getting dark, and he had no flashlight or headlamp. Plus, his cellphone battery was running low. A ranger responded and escorted him back to the trailhead. Following are all the…
By Mike Lynch
Questions remain about the death of hiker Alex Stevens By Mike Lynch Officials remain puzzled by the behavior of a New Jersey man who died after hiking up Wallface Mountain in the High Peaks Wilderness in September. Alex Stevens, who was twenty-eight, died of bronchial pneumonia while on a solo hiking trip. After a nine-day…
By Phil Brown
The state’s forest rangers conducted two searches for missing hikers in the Adirondacks the week of October 23-29. Both men were located in good condition. Following are all the incidents in the latest ranger report. We took the liberty of reordering them to put the Adirondack incidents first. Essex County Town of Keene Search: On…
Searchers located a 66-year-old man from Keeseville, who was three days overdue from a hunting trip in the Western High Peaks Wilderness, on Oct. 20. The man was located near a trail on the west side of Ampersand Brook. He was cold, hungry and had been lost since Oct. 17. This and other missions are…
By Phil Brown
Two women who were trying to hike all five peaks in the Dix Range on Saturday got lost near the Macomb Slide and had to spend an unplanned night in the woods. Forest Rangers searched for them through the night to no avail. The women were located Sunday morning on a trail about a quarter-mile…
By Phil Brown
The state’s forest rangers have busy again this year. Following is the department’s news release on the rangers’ activity for the week of September 25 through October 1. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations, and…