Lost Hiker Recovered

An Akwesasne man who became lost while hiking on trails near Paul Smith’s College was recently rescued by Forest Rangers and search teams, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The 34-year-old man was not identified in a release from DEC.

On July 19 around 2:45 p.m., DEC Ray Brook dispatch received a transferred call from Franklin County 911 requesting assistance the hiker after he became separated from his party on the Paul Smiths Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) nature trails.

The group members, Paul Smiths College Campus Security, and VIC staff searched for the man for about two hours before calling for help, according to DEC. DEC says Forest Rangers arrived on scene at 3:15 p.m.

The lost man did have a cell phone, but there was limited cell phone service in the area. When searchers contacted him, Rangers told him to call 911 so they could get his GPS coordinates. Emergency dispatch then relayed the coordinates to Forest Rangers, DEC said.

They located the man at 4:24 p.m. in good health and escorted him back to the VIC where he was reunited with his party.