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Rangers respond to ski, snowmobile, hiker incidents

Forest rangers with the state Department of Environmental Conservation helped with two snowmobile crashes, a pair of lost downhill skiers and a dehydrated hiker over the last two-and-a-half weeks in the Adirondacks.

Town of Webb, Herkimer County

On Monday, Feb. 10 at 2:06 p.m., Ranger Matthew Savarie overheard radio communications on Herkimer County 911 regarding a snowmobile accident just off Big Moose Road. Savarie responded to the location and discovered a 66-year-old snowmobiler from New Hartford who may have suffered possible fractures to his leg and arm.

With assistance from the Inlet and Big Moose ambulance squad, the man was packaged up and carried out to Big Moose Road, where he was transported to a local hospital for further medical treatment.

Town of Clifton, St. Lawrence County

On Saturday, Feb. 15 at 10:02 a.m., St. Lawrence County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch reporting a snowmobile accident on the Grass River Easement in the town of Clifton. Forest Rangers Will Benzel, Peter Morehouse and Nathan Shea responded to the location to assist Cranberry Lake fire and rescue squads.

A 26-year-old male snowmobiler from Pennsylvania suffered significant injuries after being ejected from his snowmobile after hitting a tree. At 12:15 p.m., the man was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital and all personnel were cleared of the scene.

Town of Wilmington, Essex County

On Friday, Feb. 21 at 3:49 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a request to assist a 56-year-old male and an 18-year-old male from Boston, Massachusetts, who became disoriented after skiing out of bounds at Whiteface Mountain Ski Center.

Rangers Kevin Burns and Rob Praczkajlo arrived on scene at 4:09 p.m. and began interviewing the missing men’s family members. The family assisted the rangers with a Snapchat program, which helped locate the lost skiers. Rangers then asked the men to call 911 to ping their cellphone for an exact location. Based on coordinates provided by Essex County 911, a map of their location was generated, and rangers directed the subjects to walk to a designated location.

The skiers exited the woods at 5:16 p.m. and were met by rangers. The two men were transported to Whiteface medical services. The pair signed off on medical attention, and the incident concluded at 5:45 p.m.

Town of Bolton, Warren County

On Sunday, Feb. 23 at 7:53 p.m., Warren County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch from two hikers on the Northwest Bay Trail. The hikers had started their hike that morning, and one of them, a 36-year-old male from Selden, was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration. Coordinates obtained through 911 placed the hikers about 4 miles from the Clay Meadows Trail.

Ranger Evan Donegan responded, along with the Bolton Volunteer Fire Company and its airboat. At 8:31 p.m., the responders were on Lake George and heading to the hikers’ last known location. They were located at 9:23 p.m., returned to shore and hiked back out to the trailhead.

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