A hiker who fell and struck their head on Haystack Mountain was lifted into a state police helicopter Sept. 6, one of several Adirondack rescues and searches described in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's latest forest ranger report.
The 56-year-old Black River resident was bleeding from the face and had previous medical issues, DEC said. Rangers on the ground secured the hiker in a harness, and a ranger aboard the helicopter hoisted the patient out. State police flew the hiker to a hospital; DEC did not provide a condition update.
The report, released Friday, also describes overdue hikers, an illness deep in a wilderness area and searches complicated by missing or failed headlamps. The incidents occurred Sept. 4-7 in Essex, Franklin, Hamilton and Washington counties.
Overnight searches and missing equipment
Two 20-year-old visitors from Michigan were reported overdue after setting out for Mount Marcy. Their last known location was near Little Haystack Mountain at 7:42 p.m. Sept. 6. DEC said they had not hiked in the Adirondacks before and lacked headlamps, food and warm clothing. Rangers found them at 5:29 a.m. Sept. 7 and walked them to the trailhead, clearing the search at 8:18 a.m.
The previous night, five rangers responded to a 53-year-old hiker from Clinton Corners who was overdue in the Dix Range. The hiker's headlamp had failed, leaving them to use a phone for both light and navigation. Rangers found the hiker on the north fork of the Boquet Trail, provided a headlamp and escorted them out by 11:28 p.m.
In a separate Sept. 4 search in the Pharoah Lake Wilderness, two hikers, ages 35 and 43, were reported overdue. Rangers found their vehicle at the Grizzle Ocean Trailhead and located the two people from Leroy at 7:56 p.m. They then hiked with them to the trailhead.
Another lost hiker wandered off the Marcy Dam Trail during a bathroom break Sept. 5 and spent about an hour trying to find the route, DEC said. After the hiker contacted a spouse, a ranger asked for a 911 call to obtain updated coordinates. Rangers found the person east of the ski trail toward Marcy Brook and returned to the trailhead at 11:05 a.m.
Illness and a long walk out
At about 1:30 a.m. Sept. 5, rangers were called to a 36-year-old hiker who had fainted once near the Mud Lake lean-to in the Silver Lakes Wilderness Area. Rangers assessed the person, provided food, water and electrolytes, and helped the hiker walk out. The response ended at 7:50 a.m.
A 70-year-old Illinois hiker was also reported overdue Sept. 5 after climbing Cliff and Redfield mountains. Satellite coordinates from the previous night placed the hiker near Cliff Mountain's summit. A ranger made contact in the morning, and a group reached the hiker before noon with food and water. They made it to the Herbert Brook lean-to late that afternoon; the hiker rested there before a caretaker escorted them out Sept. 6. DEC said the incident ended at 2:50 p.m.
At Sleeping Beauty Mountain in Washington County, a ranger on patrol helped a 25-year-old Colorado visitor suffering an allergic reaction Sept. 6. The ranger assessed the person and assisted them to an ambulance. DEC said the visitor chose to seek additional medical care independently.
Rangers and state police also responded to a Sept. 4 campground disturbance in Franklin County involving a person smashing their own truck with a sledgehammer. They disarmed the camper, and state police determined there was no arrestable offense because the damage was to the person's own vehicle. Family members picked up the camper, DEC said.
Statewide ranger workload
DEC said forest rangers completed 126 search-and-rescue missions in the first six months of 2026. They also extinguished 65 wildfires covering more than 215 acres and participated in 54 prescribed fires covering 1,355 acres during that period.
The agency separately reported full-year 2025 totals of 362 rescue missions, 202 wildfires covering 840 acres and 68 prescribed fires covering 1,649 acres. The partial-year and full-year figures cover different periods and do not establish a year-over-year trend. DEC said 2025 ranger cases resulted in more than 1,100 tickets and arrests, and 41 rangers were sent to fire assignments in 10 other states.
DEC recommends that hikers carry more than one headlamp, extra batteries, a map and compass along with other backcountry essentials. People who need a forest ranger for a search, wildfire or illegal activity on state land can call 833-NYS-RANGERS; emergencies should go to 911.
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