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search and rescue

All Stories

Petzl headlamp

Rangers rescue 3 hikers without headlamps

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…

Adirondack Hiker Triggers Search On Algonquin

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…

Hiker Needs Escort From Trail Near Marcy Dam

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…

Rangers Located 2 Hikers In Good Condition

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…

Overdue Hunter Rescued After Three Nights In Woods

By Adirondack Explorer

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…

dix range

Women On 5-Peak Trek Benighted In Adirondacks

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…

Forest Rangers Conducted 356 Missions In 2016

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…

Helicopter Flies Search Team To Wallface

By Phil Brown

Kevin “MudRat” MacKenzie was among the rock climbers flown to Wallface Mountain this week to search for Alex Stevens, a hiker who disappeared more than a week earlier. He took this video.  

DEC Finds A Campsite On Wallface Mountain in Alex Stevens Search

By Mike Lynch

The search for Alex Stevens ended on Tuesday without locating the subject. DEC Forest Rangers located a campsite on the summit of Wallface Mountain, tracks and other signs leading from that camp which they determined belonged to Mr. Stevens. The search continues today with 24 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers, five…

Search On For Missing Man in High Peaks Wilderness

By Adirondack Explorer

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers, working with New York State Police and the Hopewell, New Jersey Police Department, are searching the Western High Peaks Wilderness for Alex Stevens, a 28-year-old male from Hopewell, New Jersey. DEC is asking anyone who may have seen Mr. Stevens or has information about his…

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