The Peru Gazette

Town of Indian Lake

Hamilton County

Wilderness Rescue: On Sept. 30 at 2:14 p.m., Forest Rangers Scott and Temple responded to a hiker with a leg injury near the summit of Blue Mountain. Personnel from Indian Lake, Blue Mountain, and Speculator fire departments helped Rangers set up a rope system to raise the subject to the summit. Rescuers drove the 58-year-old from Philadelphia, NY, to the road where she was flown to the hospital. Resources were clear by 3:30 p.m.

Town of Minerva

Essex County

Wilderness Rescue: On Sept. 30 at 2:31 p.m., Forest Ranger Bode, Minerva Fire, and Johnsburg EMS responded to a report of a hiker experiencing dehydration, weakness, and vomiting on Moxham Mountain. Ranger Bode reached the 76-year-old from Lake George, rehydrated the hiker, and started walking them out. They reached the trailhead by 6:09 p.m.

Town of North Elba

Essex County

Wilderness Rescue: On Sept. 30 at 5:40 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call about a hiker with an unstable lower leg injury on the Algonquin trail. New York State Police (NYSP) Aviation was called in. Pilot Kneer and Ranger Praczkajlo inserted Ranger O’Connor to the subject. Ranger O’Connor stabilized the hiker’s injury and prepared the 33-year-old from Canada for a hoist. The patient was flown to the hospital at 7:14 p.m.

Village of Lake Placid

Essex County

Aircraft Crash: On Oct. 1 at 5:15 p.m., Forest Ranger Captain Burns and Ranger Praczkajlo assisted the Lake Placid Fire Department with extracting two subjects from a single fixed-wing aircraft that crashed on the Lake Placid airport runway. The two subjects passed away in the crash. Crews used a low-angle rope system to remove the subjects from the wreckage before turning them over to the coroner at 7:30 p.m.

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. FOR MORE INFORMATION, visit DEC’s Hike Smart NY, Adirondack Backcountry Information, and Catskill Backcountry Information webpages.

If a person needs a Forest Ranger, whether it’s for a search and rescue, to report a wildfire, or to report illegal activity on state lands and easements, they should call 833-NYS-RANGERS. If a person needs urgent assistance, they can call 911. To contact a Forest Ranger for information about a specific location, the DEC website has phone numbers for every Ranger listed.