This month, forest rangers with the state Department of Environmental Conservation assisted several groups of disoriented or injured hikers, a man with a rope-swing-related foot injury, and a father and daughter who were caught in a storm while paddling.

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Town of Fort Ann

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On June 1 at 1:50 p.m., Washington County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook dispatch reporting a 45-year-old male hiker from Glens Falls was unconscious after suffering a seizure on the Shelving Rock Bay Trail.

When Rangers Callee Baker and Mark St. Claire responded to the scene, the man was conscious and alert. With assistance from the Fort Ann Fire Department, the hiker was evaluated and brought back to the trailhead using a wheeled litter and a six-wheeler. The subject refused further medical treatment.

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Town of North Elba

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On June 2 at 9:14 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook dispatch received a call from three lost hikers from Rochester in the High Peaks Wilderness Area. The hikers lost the trail about a mile from Marcy Dam. The hikers were immediately directed to call 911 to obtain their coordinates. The group had planned to hike Mount Marcy, Skylight and Gray, but were unprepared for the snow and Alpine conditions, and ran out of time before completing Gray. They became lost in the dark with only one source of light and one of the trio wearing shorts and tennis shoes.

DEC’s Ray Brook Trail Crew, staying at the Marcy Dam interior outpost, responded to the coordinates obtained by Essex County 911, while Ranger Andrew Lewis headed to the Adirondak Loj. Trail crew members Neilson Snye and Peter Price reached the lost hikers at 10:14 p.m. and brought them to the Marcy Dam outpost at 11:03 p.m., where crew member Gary Valentine assisted in warming them. Lewis met the party at Marcy Dam at 11:48 p.m. and transported the hikers via UTV to their vehicles.

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Town of Bolton

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On June 3 at 8:53 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook dispatch received a call from a father and son from Oakland, New Jersey, who were hiking down the Tongue Mountain range when they requested assistance. The 20-year-old advised Dispatch that his 50-year-old father was about 600 yards behind him. Both men had run out of water and were feeling dizzy and nauseous. Coordinates provided by the hikers placed them about a half mile from Montcalm Point.

Forest Rangers Chuck Kabrehl and Evan Donegan responded to Green Island and took a boat to Montcalm Point to assist. While awaiting the rangers’ arrival, the pair contacted Dispatch to say they were beginning to shiver and that the father’s lips had turned purple. The pair had abandoned one pack up the trail, and another pack with dry clothing and sleeping bags close to their current location. The hikers were advised to go back to where the pack was until rangers arrived.

Kabrehl and Donegan reached the two men at 10:50 p.m., escorted them to the boat and gave them a ride back to shore. Once back at Green Island, the two men were given a courtesy ride back to their vehicle.

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Town of Caroga

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On June 4 at 1:37 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Fulton County 911 reporting a 19-year-old man from Mohawk needing assistance for a foot laceration after he hit a rock while using a rope swing at Nine Corner Lake in the Ferris Lake Wild Forest Area.

Forest Rangers Dave Nally and Melissa Milano responded to the scene along with the Caroga Lake Rescue. At 3:08 p.m., rangers and emergency medical services had the man out of the woods, where he advised that he would seek additional medical attention on his own.

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Town of Webb

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On June 5 at 12:35 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for assistance for a 46-year-old male hiker from Princeton, New Jersey, who was halfway up Bald Mountain with an unstable leg injury.

Forest Rangers Aimee Bills, Lincoln Hanno and Matthew Savarie responded to the scene and located the hiker and his hiking party at 2 p.m. Rangers carried the injured hiker to the trailhead, where they were met by the Old Forge ambulance squad. The injured hiker declined transport to a local hospital and said he would seek medical attention on his own.

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Town of Keene

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On June 6 at 12:45 p.m., Essex County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook dispatch from two male hikers who became disoriented while hiking Giant Mountain. Coordinates provided by 911 placed the hikers above the Washbowl section of Giant Mountain.

Forest Rangers Robbi Mecus and Megan LaPierre responded to assist. An assistant forest ranger patrolling Giant was also alerted by dispatch. Mecus arrived and began coordinating search efforts as LaPierre began searching the Little Dipper Area of the mountain.

At 1:57 p.m., the rangers located the 19-year-old and 21-year-old hikers from Niagara Falls. The pair was escorted back to the trailhead, and the incident concluded at 2:45 p.m.

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Town of Webb

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On June 6 at 5:10 p.m., a call came into DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch from a father and daughter from Theresa who were paddling on the Stillwater Reservoir in the Independence River Wild Forest. A strong storm came through, and duo found themselves in dire need to make it to shore. They eventually got to a campsite and took shelter in an outhouse. The storm did not let up, so the paddlers called for forest ranger assistance.

Forest Ranger Luke Evans responded to the Stillwater boat launch and, using a motorboat, responded to assist the 58-year-old man and 28-year-old woman. At 6:05 p.m., Evans reached the pair, and by 6:30 p.m., everyone was back to shore safely.

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Town of North Hudson

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On June 7 at 1:12 a.m., Central Office Dispatch received a call from State Police advising that they received a call from a group of hikers lost on Dix Mountain. Coordinates provided by the hikers placed them on the Beckhorn trail heading toward Hough Peak.

Forest Rangers Andrew Lewis and Logan Quinn responded to assist. Rangers were at the trailhead by 3:30 a.m. and located the group of four hikers from East Schodack at 9:16 a.m. After a preliminary medical check, rangers began to escort the group back down the mountain.

While hiking down, one of the hikers began to exhibit signs of exhaustion. Lewis and Quinn helped the hiker rehydrate, and gave the hikers something to eat and a chance to warm up and rest. The exhausted hiker’s gear was split between the two rangers as they proceeded down to the base of the mountain, where they were met with six-wheelers provided by Forest Rangers Art Perryman and Lt. Brian Dubay. The group was driven the rest of the way to the trailhead, and at 5:25 p.m., the hiking party and rangers were out of the woods. The group left in their own vehicle.