LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (NEWS10) – On Saturday, two different hiking groups around the Lake George area learned to be careful not to hike too late without the right equipment. In both cases, DEC Forest Rangers intervened to get the hikers to safety.
On Saturday, Nov. 5, a forest ranger responded shortly before 6 p.m. to a 911 call from two hikers on their way down from Prospect Mountain, overlooking the village of Lake George. The hikers reported fatigue and worry as they continued down the mountain in growing darkness, having not brought light sources with them in order to safely continue hiking after nightfall. Around 7:15, the ranger found the hikers and guided them down the rest of the trail without incident.
Meanwhile, Ray Brook Dispatch called for ranger assistance in the area of Bolton, alongside the west side of the lake, at around 6:15 p.m. The dispatch requested assistance in searching for two hikers on the Tongue Mountain Range – part of the Adirondack Backcountry – who had become unable to continue due to darkness. Forest rangers reached Montcalm Point, traveling by boat, and found the hikers around 8:30 p.m.
In both cases, hikers were stranded on mountains around Lake George due to dying phone batteries and a lack of any other light sources. The DEC says that hikers should always carry a flashlight or headlamp even if they do not plan to hike at night. This is especially true after Daylight Savings Time, heralding the start of earlier nightfall.
