The Peru Gazette

Town of Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, Wilderness Recovery: On May 5 at 4:19 a.m., Forest Rangers joined Environmental Conservation Police Officers in the search for a 22-year-old college student who reportedly jumped from a bridge into Norwood Lake and was swept away by the currents. Potsdam Fire set up a staging area. The Rangers and ECOs joined New York State Police (NYSP) dive teams, Potsdam Police, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s, and five fire departments in the search. The search didn’t yield any results until the following afternoon when a member of the NYSP dive team found the subject’s body in approximately nine feet of water a short distance below the dam. Resources were clear at approximately 4:30 p.m.

Town of Lake George, Warren County, Wilderness Rescue: On May 2 at 6:50 p.m., Forest Rangers Carabetta and Donegan responded to a call for an injured hiker on the trail to Prospect Mountain. Rangers reached the pair of hikers by 7:30 p.m. and stabilized the ankle of the injured 23-year-old from Latham. Rangers assisted the hikers back to the trailhead and then to their vehicle. The injured subject chose to seek further medical attention on her own. Resources were clear at 8:10 p.m.

Town of Lake George, Warren County, Training: On May 3-5, Forest Ranger Donegan led technical rope rescue operations training at Prospect Mountain. Twenty-eight Rangers took part in the training that included moving “patients” in steep technical terrain.

Hamlet of Paul Smiths, Franklin County, Training: On May 5 and 6, Forest Rangers Adams, Mecus, Ordway, Rooney, and Russell led the basic wildland search course for 18 members of Search and Rescue Northern Adirondacks (SARNAK) at the Paul Smiths Visitors Center. SARNAK assists Rangers when needed on difficult search and rescue missions in the High Peaks Wilderness Area.

Town of North Hudson, Essex County, Wilderness Rescue: On May 6 at 5:56 p.m., Forest Rangers Foutch and Mecus responded to a beacon activation at the base of Grace Peak. The subject indicated in the text that he suffered a dislocated shoulder and was moving slowly down the trail. Rangers and Keene Valley Backcountry Rescue members hiked in, reached the subject at 8:38 p.m. and put his arm in a sling. When the 43-year-old from Hornell was too weak to continue, rescuers carried him to a Keene Valley Ambulance for the final mile-and-a-half. Resources were clear at 5 a.m.

Town of Keene, Essex County, Wilderness Rescue: On May 7 at 3:40 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance for a hiker on Tabletop Trail suffering from severe migraines and nausea. Assistant Forest Ranger Evans hiked into the subject to assess her condition. The 26-year-old from Syracuse was hiking with a partner to the Marcy Dam outpost, but then her condition worsened. Rangers Evans and Mecus reached the hikers and transported them via ATV to their vehicle, where the subject declined further medical treatment.

Photo – Potsdam recovery