Lost hiker rescued after encountering tree on ADK trail

[Learning The Trails]

No mention of if the hiker bonked their knee on the log...

https://www.syracuse.com/outdoors/20...outputType=amp

Lost hiker rescued after encountering tree on ADK trail
Updated: Oct. 30, 2025, 9:39 a.m.|Published: Oct. 30, 2025, 9:27 a.m.
NYS DEC forest ranger report for week of Oct. 19-26, 2025
DEC Forest Ranger Patch
By Steve Featherstone |


On the evening of Oct. 20, a 76-year-old hiker from Rochester got lost while climbing Esther Mountain, one of the Adirondack High Peaks located near Lake Placid.

The hiker contacted a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation forest ranger and explained that they were cold and wet and had only seven percent charge left on their cell phone.


The ranger started hiking in and advised the elderly voyager to continue moving to stay warm. At 8:25 p.m., the hiker called again to report part of a tree was blocking the trail and they could not get around it.


At 9:17 p.m., the ranger reached the hiker, provided warm clothes, hand warmers, and a headlamp, and assisted the hiker down the Marble Mountain trail to the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center trailhead just after midnight

The following reports are excerpted from DEC:
A group of four got separated while hiking Wolfjaw Mountain on the evening of Oct. 21. Two hikers made it back to the Adirondack Mountain Reserve, but their parents did not. At 9:35 p.m., a ranger located the 50- and 53-year-old from Delaware and escorted them to their children.

A 71-year-old hunter from Norfolk became separated from his nephew on Oct. 25 as the two were hunting private land in St. Lawrence County. Rangers joined NY State Police and the Parishville Fire Department in a search for the missing hunter and found him later that night.

Two hikers from Brooklyn got lost off trail at Jensen’s Ledges on Oct 26. A ranger spoke with the hikers and obtained coordinates which he used to locate them and help them back to their vehicle.

On Oct. 25, three hikers from Buffalo called for help on a trail between Seward and Donaldson Mountains because they were cold, wet, and did not have any dry layers with them. One hiker also had bad leg cramps. Three rangers located the hikers and guided them back to their vehicles.


Rangers suggest hiking with the 10 hiking essentials, including moisture-wicking synthetic fabrics that keep your skin dry and help regulate your body temperature in both cold and warm weather. Avoid cotton clothing because it holds moisture.

[Makwa]

I'm sure I'll be stubborn as hell in another 15 years and still want to hike solo, so I say this lovingly... what the hell is a 76-year-old doing out there alone?!

I recall a story about a friend of a friend who was hiking with their 80-year-old grandpa up on Lake George. Forget which mountain. The younger folks in the group were tired of puttering along with the octogenarian and descended quickly over the last mile or so, leaving grandpa behind, figuring he'd reach the bottom 10 or 15 minutes after they did. He ended up spending the night on the mountain! Got spun around or disoriented and lost for the next 12+ hours.

[CatskillKev]

This is the first I've heard about age and hiking alone. I didn't know. Should there be a law? I have never looked at someone like that.

My first hiking partner, back when I was 23 was actually 75. He's the one that got me going to different peaks, where I probably would have gone more local all of the time, if it were just me.

Oh, things can be a bit more adventurous at 75, but the main rule is not to get so adventurous that you have to call a ranger, no matter what your age.

On Oct 25th, three ageless hikers from Buffalo...

[CatskillKev]

Maybe I'm talking about fairness. Should people be judged on preparedness and age? Well, of course you put yourself under the spotlight when you get in trouble, and I guess that goes for age, too, apparently. This is what the people who do "everything" to over-hike think.

I guess I saw the opposite of this mentality at Kaaterskill Falls. We had done a long hike involving Kaaterskill Falls, so we got reactions like, wow you are professional. Well, my companions got those looks. I was just carrying a water bottle with the plastic ring hanging from my finger.

[Makwa]

I get what you are saying. Maybe I wasn't being fair. And perhaps I would have reacted differently to this if the reason for the rescue was not being able to walk around a downed tree. Another 76-year-old may have been fine. But, for real, getting old sucks. And it does become a limiting factor in everything you do.

I think my admonitions about hiking and age have been colored by watching my own parents age. They are 84 and move around pretty damn well, still exercise, and are active. But I wouldn't encourage them to hike a High Peak. The risks far outweighs the rewards. A fall could be catastrophic for them. For any elderly person really. Within the last few years they have had four friends who have had falls doing everyday normal things. All four were dead within a month after the fall. My father fell earlier this year pulling a dead branch off a tree in their front yard. Luckily he is fine now but his shoulder, elbow, and forearm were injured pretty badly. I have never seen black and blue like that before. He could barely move his arm for two months. Point being, as you age you should be limiting your exposure to situations that could injure you. The consequences are dire for older folks. It is horrible to live being paranoid like that but the reality is being old and falling is not a good combination. A hiking trail is just loaded with potential pitfalls. Every step, especially in places like the Catskills or Adirondacks is a life-altering mishap waiting to happen. If you're walking on a perfectly manicured trail of a National Park or flat ground around a local nature preserve the risk is less. I suppose I am just cautioning older folks to think before they put themselves in harm's way.

[CatskillKev]

Well put. I guess what you see in your nearest environment is what can shape how you feel.

Knowing that, you might have a bit more fun hiking if you could not look at every step as a life-altering mishap waiting to happen.

[Yury]

.. what the hell is a 76-year-old doing out there alone?!

I assume that he was not able to find any companion willing to maintain the same speed of hiking.

[Makwa]

Plausible scenario.

I imagine it gets harder to find hiking partners as you age and your buddies decide that it's no longer prudent to be out galavanting around the woods. If you're still physically fit enough to tackle a High Peak at 76 then god bless you but I bet there aren't very many others your age that are up for too much more than a flatland hike for a few miles.

[Yury]

Makwa, FYI:

https://www.climbing.com/news/carlos-soria-manaslu-summit/

Hiking any ADK peak is easier than hiking Manaslu.

[Makwa]

This guy is likely a one-in-a-million and willing to nearly kill himself and endanger everybody around him to achieve these goals.

This pretty much sums up how he has destroyed himself over the last several years...

"Last week, Soria and his team summited Manaslu relatively quickly, and without any major hurdles. After their final acclimatization rotation, they pushed from basecamp to summit in just three days. But on the steep, icy descent to Camp III, the climb took a turn for the worse. Soria’s legs have been a weak point in recent years—he underwent a knee replacement in 2018 and severely broke his leg on Dhaulagiri in 2023. By the time he reached Camp III, he was in severe pain, and his balance and coordination were suffering as a result. Ultimately, he opted for a helicopter evacuation to basecamp to ensure his injuries didn’t worsen.'If I tried to come down walking, I could cause everyone else problems,' he said. 'Carlos wanted to keep himself safe, but also to keep the rest of us safe, everyone else in his team,' his photographer Soriano added."

Is an ADK High peak easier? For sure, but I still don't recommend any 86-year-old going tackling one.

[CatskillKev]

Kind of like blood work, if your numbers are in the middle you're good. 3 hikers from Buffalo were not especially young or especially old, so they were good in the age analysis.

Of course, they still made the report, so is this a case of "double standard"?

[2505]

Anyone hiking alone and unprepared, regardless of age, is at risk, IMO

[Daniel Eagan]

At 71 and with a torn meniscus, I don't want to admit to myself that I can't do the hikes I did twenty years ago. I get inspiration from hiking with people older than me.

[tcd]

70 here, minor tears in both knees. Functional, but they get sore after a long hike. I too am inspired by older hikers. But I stay young by going as hard as I can, hiking with younger guys. Eventually the knees will crap out, and then I will sit down.

[jrjmurray]

I don't think age should be the measure, it should be fitness to do the task, though often the two correlate.
I know 20 and 30-somethings that are not fit enough to complete a high peak safely, and the Rangers Rescue Reports are full of them, while there are "elderly" people completing rounds every year.
Each person must realize their own limitations at any age and plan accordingly.

That's my buffalo nickel's worth

[Learning The Trails]

I'm sure that helicopter rescue was cheap Makwa

[FlyFishingandBeer]

My grandfather climbed Mt. Monadnock every year well into his 80s and never once struggled with the hike. A few weeks ago a fellow named Kokichi Akuzawa climbed Mt. Fuji at the well-seasoned age of 102. About a decade ago Hulda Crooks summited Mt. Whitney at 91, with her first ascent being at age 65. While I'm still pretty far from having a dog in this fight, I don't think automatically determining somebody as incapable of hiking based solely on age is the right approach.

[Makwa]

All of those feats are amazing. Kudos to all those folks. But these are not the norm.

I'm not saying older folks are incapable. I'm saying that the hike/no-hike decision has much higher stakes for older folks. It's just a fact that bone density decreases as we age. A fall for 40-year might just mean being a little sore, a bruise, or limping around for a few days. The same fall for a 80-year-old could mean a broken hip or leg and rapid deterioration of their quality of life. And further complications from these types of injuries are not uncommon. If you are willing to take the risk then fine. That's a personal choice. Daily life comes with inherent risk. You could trip and fall almost anywhere. But the older you get the more problems a fall brings. Heading out hiking on steep/ difficult trails where you can encounter thousands of things to trip over or fall off seems like tempting fate. I would just ask everybody to be honest with themselves about their limitations and plan hikes accordingly. Find easier trails with fewer obstacles and places to trip/ fall. Don't shut yourself in and never enjoy the outdoors again. But don't put yourself in a dangerous situation.

[Bunchberry]

What Makwa says is why I am focusing on doing trail maintenance in the Lake George Region. I am working on trails now that I will be doing for my whole life. My plan is when I first retire to do some High Peaks but at 75 I will be closer to home doing something easier.

[Neil]

Regarding the title of this thread. While bushwhacking I "encounter" several trees. Per foot.
I hike on and off trail alone and camp out and bag peaks alone in winter. I'm 69. Not quite old but getting there.

[Bunchberry]

I am 63 and spent 8 days out cutting up trees, branches, lifting logs and snipping saplings. If all goes to plan next year will be my last year working and then I plan on doing that every week when the weather is above 50 degrees.

[rbi99]

I'm 74, have taken real good care of myself my entire adult life. Live in Cleveland but have been up to the Adirondacks probably 80 times. Screw age, it's ability and self knowledge. I know what I can and cannot do. After all my hiked miles I have never suffered an injury, but I am extremely careful. Maybe my next climb something does go wrong. Maybe it will be something out of my control or maybe I will screw up - but it won't be because of my age.

[Nessmuk]

I too am now 74, have bushwhacked and navigated 90% of the time solo,mainly off trail in the deep woodlands of the western Adirondacks and Tug Hill. I am the most active member crew boss participant of my SAR team working with the DEC. I cut, split, and stack firewood each summer enough for my primary heat each winter for both home and camp.

I have trained for and canoe raced the Adirondack 90 miler for 30 consecutive years, so far, and not done yet. In the past decade I have traveled to canoe race five times on the Yukon River, 440 miles in the YRQ and twice on the 1000 mile Y1K. All finishing first place in class or nearly so.

Although not without manageable health issues, I credit my outdoor activities as responsible for long healthy life.

[Yury]

Nessmuk, your inheritance is a major contributor to your current physical abilities.

P.S "Inheritance" means inherited set of genes.

[haynk]

much respect !!

as long as health permits, i will continue to be (prudently and responsibly) active outdoors. at this point in life i feel that i am "on the clock" and have only increased my activity the past few years.

[Yury]

I'm 74, have taken real good care of myself my entire adult life.
...
After all my hiked miles I have never suffered an injury, but I am extremely careful.

I am somewhat younger than you.
I noticed that my latest Saddleback Cliffs ascent was much more challenging than a previous one 14 years earlier.
I assume that my chance of an accident is higher today than when I was 15-20 years younger.
I just accept this situation and hope that serious accident would not happen to me.
If it happens in winter I have enough warm clothes to somewhat comfortably spend a night in the woods and carry an inReach to ask for help.

Otherwise for you and for me it's just a game of chance.