A hiker from New Jersey died after slipping off a trail near the summit of the tallest mountain in New York State last week.
On Thursday at 3:05 p.m., the hiker, who was with a dog, called 911, saying they slipped off the trail near the summit of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack High Peaks region, said Jeff Wernick with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Rangers began a search using a snowmobile, a tracked utility vehicle, and the New York State Police sent out a helicopter for a possible hoist rescue.
Heavy cloud cover prevented the two rangers in the helicopter from finding the missing hiker.
At 6:06 pm., one of the Rangers in the helicopter was lowered near the Marcy Dam Outpost to search on the ground, Wernick said.
At 9:51 p.m., the ranger found the dead 21-year-old hiker. However, rangers were unable to remove the body from the mountain due to weather conditions.
Rangers also found the dog alive and hiked it out to safety.
The next morning, on Friday, State Police Aviation dropped two Rangers on the mountain who were able to get the hiker’s body.
The hiker’s identity or gender was not disclosed.
“The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation offers its condolences to the family,” said Wernick.
Mount Marcy is the tallest mountain in New York at 5,344 feet, situated near Keene and Lake Placid. The mountain features a strenuous 14.6-mile out-and-back hike.
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