New York forest rangers responded to injured and stranded hikers, two fatal searches and several public outreach assignments during a week of incidents across the state.
The Department of Environmental Conservation said the responses from July 27 through Aug. 1 included wilderness rescues in Greene, Essex, Dutchess and Hamilton counties and recovery operations in Sullivan and Erie counties.
In Greene County, rangers and local responders carried a 32-year-old Schenectady hiker with an ankle injury from the Kaaterskill Falls trail July 27. The patient was taken from the trail by wheeled litter and utility vehicle before an ambulance transported the hiker to a hospital.
Rangers assisted two fatal searches July 29. A swift-water team recovered a 41-year-old Livingston Manor resident from a submerged vehicle in a creek in the town of Callicoon, while a search team found a 23-year-old Ohio resident dead in the town of Elma after police reported concerns that the person had traveled to New York with suicidal intentions.
Two injured hikers were evacuated in Essex County on July 30. Eight rangers carried a 74-year-old Pennsylvania hiker with a lower-leg injury from Hurricane Mountain, while another ranger and Wilmington emergency crews used a wheeled litter to remove a 29-year-old Peekskill hiker with an ankle injury from Cobble Lookout.
In Dutchess County, a ranger and firefighters helped a 68-year-old Hopewell Junction hiker from the Appalachian Trail after the person slipped on a steep, rocky section and suffered bruises and a large leg wound.
Rangers also assisted a 24-year-old Oregon hiker who was having trouble breathing near the Seymour Mountain trail Aug. 1. DEC said the hiker's condition improved after rangers provided electrolytes, and the person declined additional medical care.
Later that day, rangers brought six hikers and two dogs out of the West Canada Lake Wilderness after the group became concerned it could not complete an unexpectedly long trip. Rangers provided food and water before transporting the group to a trailhead and back to its campground.
DEC said forest rangers completed 126 search-and-rescue missions and extinguished 65 wildfires covering more than 215 acres during the first six months of 2026. The agency advises hikers to plan ahead, carry adequate food and water, and call 911 for urgent assistance.
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