DEC: Schenectady man, 57, injured on Essex County mountain, carried three miles from near summit to safety

ESSEX COUNTY – A hiker from Schenectady suffered a serious knee injury on Mount Marcy in Essex County Sunday and had to be rescued by forest rangers, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said.

The man, 57, had been hiking with his 15-year-old son and ultimately had to be carried out by rangers by backpack carrier, officials said.

The initial call came in at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday for a hiker with a significant knee injury near the summit of Mount Marcy, officials said.

Six forest rangers and an assistant ranger responded. New York State Police Aviation attempted to get one ranger in near the hiker, but strong winds made the initial attempt unsafe, officials said.

A second attempt, at 6 p.m., succeeded in getting the ranger a mile from the hiker’s location, near Indian Falls, officials said.

The ranger hiked to the Schenectady man and son and provided first aid. Nine other rangers, two assistant rangers and three volunteers from Search and Rescue of the Northern Adirondacks and Northeast Mobile Search and Rescue then hiked to their location, officials said.

The rescuers used backpack carriers to bring the man more than three miles out from the summit, where they were met by Lake Placid EMS and the man was taken to Adirondack Medical Center for further care, officials said.

The incident concluded at 3:15 a.m.

Categories: News, News, Schenectady, Schenectady County