A 68-year-old hiker from Amsterdam got separated from his hiking party on the night of June 12 while they were descending Mount Marcy, New York State’s highest peak. The last time anyone saw him was above Slant Rock Junction.
The following day, 19 Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers searched for the missing hiker. The Marcy Dam and John’s Brook caretakers checked registers and the immediate areas near the outposts. New York State Police helicopter flew over drainages and trails, looking for the man.
Later that evening, two hikers saw the missing hiker approaching the trail from the John’s Brook drainage and assisted him to the lodge. Rangers helped the man back to the south side trail and then to Smith Way.
Rangers transport a 42-year-old hiker who injured her ankle while climbing Buck Mountain last week.NYSDEC
The following reports are excerpted from DEC:
On the afternoon of June 13, a 42-year-old from Rensselaer County injured her ankle while climbing Buck Mountain. Four rangers splinted the hiker’s lower leg and packaged her into a wheeled litter, then transported her one mile to the trailhead on Shelving Rock Road where they were met by an ambulance.
Two rangers encountered a person with an outstanding warrant on a grand larceny charge while inspecting a campsite at Buck Hill State Forest in Oneida County on June 11. Rangers took the person into custody without incident and transported them to the New Hartford Police Department.
On the evening of June 13, two kayakers—a 76-year-old from Jay and 60-year-old from Au Sable Forks—got stranded on Taylor Pond, unable to paddle against the wind. They instead paddled to the nearest shoreline and called for help. An angler transported a ranger to the kayakers in his boat. The ranger helped got the kayakers aboard, retrieved the kayaks, and helped bring the pair safely to Taylor Pond campground.
On the night of June 14, rangers helped in the search for a despondent person in the area of Good Luck Lake, Hamilton County. Crews found the person’s dead body the next morning and carried it out. State police are investigating.
Last week, rangers, along with staff and volunteers from other government agencies, conducted two prescribed fires in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve totaling 16 acres.NYSDEC
Last week, rangers, along with staff and volunteers from DEC’s Division of Lands and Forests, Albany Pine Bush, State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted two prescribed fires in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. One fire burned 10 acres in the preserve, the other 16 acres.
An 82-year-old angler went missing on June 13 in the vicinity of the Black River. The next morning, six rangers, along with state police, searched for the man using K9, aviation, drone, airboat, and road patrol resources. Around noon, a witness reported seeing the missing man the previous night on a tributary to the main river. Search crews shifted efforts to that area and found the angler deceased along a trail leading from the river back to the road. Rangers used a wheeled litter to transport the body to an ambulance.
A 55-year-old from Pomona and 45-year-old from New City went missing on June 15 while riding ATVs in Delaware County. Rangers, along with state and local law enforcement, searched for the pair until well after midnight. At 6:30 a.m. the next day, the ATV riders returned to camp in good health. They had lost the trail, built a fire to stay warm, and found the trail when daylight returned.
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Steve Featherstone covers the outdoors for The Post Standard, syracuse.com and NYUP.com. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter @featheroutdoors. You can also follow along with all of our outdoors content at newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/ or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/upstatenyoutdoors.