DEC: Five hikers rescued by Forest Rangers

PETERSBURG, N.Y. » On June 19 at approximately 3 p.m., Forest Rangers were dispatched to the Petersburgh Pass area of the Taconic Ridge to search for a group of five lost hikers.

The hiker that made the initial call to 911 provided coordinates. Another member of the group, a 70-year- old male, was having severe leg cramps, possibly due to dehydration, and could no longer hike, according to information from the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Type I search teams were assembled with members from Grafton and Petersburgh fire departments, New York State Police, Williamstown ( Mass.) fire, and Pownal ( Vt.) fire. New York State Police Aviation was also dispatched but had limited visibility of the ground due to the thick tree canopy.

At 5:35 p.m., a Forest Ranger and a volunteer searcher located the lost hikers at a lean-to in the Hopkins Memorial Forest close to the tri-state border monument. The Ranger and volunteer treated the dehydrated hiker and helped the group make their way down the mountain to Krum Hill Road in Vermont. During an interview after the rescue, Rangers established the group took a wrong turn based on incorrect information on Google Maps and took a trail east from New York into Vermont and Massachusetts until they reached the lean-to back in New York. At 8 p.m., all of the lost hikers and search members were transported back to their vehicles at Petersburgh Pass in New York.