The Peru Gazette

Hamlet of Raquette Lake
Hamilton County
Wilderness Search: On April 12 at 8 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call about a lost hiker off trail behind the Burketown neighborhood. Forest Rangers Cleinman, Miller, and Scott responded. At 9:15 p.m., Ranger Miller made voice contact with the 55-year-old and located them deep in a swamp, getting cold in wet jeans. Ranger Miller walked the subject out of the woods. Resources were clear at 10 p.m.

Town of North Elba
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On April 13 at 12:15 p.m., three Forest Rangers responded to a call to assist three hikers off trail on Haystack Mountain. The hikers said they were lost and unprepared for the weather. Rangers called and using mapping software, led them back onto the trail and then met them to provide food and water.

Rangers suggest checking the weather before hiking. The temperature and conditions at the top of a mountain are often very different from what it is at the trailhead.

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s “Hike Smart NY,” “Adirondack Backcountry,” and “Catskill Backcountry Information” webpages for more information.

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 by region.