Forest rangers and environmental conservation officers in Franklin and Washington counties helped a hiker find his way back to a trailhead and a teen who sustained a leg injury when he fell off a jet sled being pulled behind a pickup truck.

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Town of Santa Clara

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The Department of Environmental Conservation’s Ray Brook dispatch received a report that the Tupper Lake rescue squad had been dispatched to the Fish Creek Pond Campground to help a 19-year-old with a leg injury at 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31.

Forest Ranger Pete Evans and ECO Nate Favreau responded to the scene. Favreau spoke with New York State Police and found that the Lake Clear teen’s injury was the result of an accident involving a pickup truck pulling a jet sled behind it. The driver of the pickup lost traction because of ice on the road, causing the truck to lurch, sending the sled into a tree and ejecting the teen, who suffered a leg injury.

The teenager was taken by a Tupper Lake ambulance to seek further medical assistance. All units were back in service by 4:09 p.m.

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Town of Fort Ann

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The DEC’s Ray Brook dispatch received a report of a lost hiker from Washington County 911 at 2:53 p.m. Sunday.

The call was from a 55-year-old man who had become lost while hiking from the Pilot Knob trailhead. He told dispatch that he’d hiked off the trail and up a hill because he wanted to get a better view of a nearby pond, but he got disoriented when one of his dogs ran away. He could not find the trail again.

Using coordinates provided by Washington County 911, Forest Ranger Melissa Milano determined the hiker was located on a hill overlooking a nearby beaver pond on the east end of the trail. Milano directed dispatch to advise the hiker to stay where he was while she responded to his location. She used the Inman Pond trailhead off of Sly Pond Road, reached him at 4:22 p.m. and assisted him back to the trailhead.

The hiker was given a ride back to his vehicle at the Pilot Knob trailhead. All units were back in service at 6:18 p.m.