Search and Rescue

UPDATED: 2 Two Trap Dike Rescues, Man Stranded for 7 Hours

October 31, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Forest Rangers fairly regularly execute technical rope and helicopter extractions on the notoriously steep and exposed Trap Dike on Mount Colden in the Adirondack High Peaks. This past week they did it twice. One man was stranded in the same spot for seven hours.

The Trap Dike is a semi-technical couloir and open slide featuring wet rock, loose scree, a 40-foot waterfall crux, and significant vertical exposure. The most dangerous segment is a 40-foot waterfall area. [Read more…] about UPDATED: 2 Two Trap Dike Rescues, Man Stranded for 7 Hours

Long Island Baymen & Great South Bay Seafood

October 21, 2026 by Chris Kretz Leave a Comment

The waters around Long Island were long known for their bounty. Fish and oysters sustained the indigenous population long before the coming of Europeans.

The settlers developed full-fledged oyster (Crassostrea virginica) and then hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) industries and fished striped bass, bluefish, flounder (fluke), and weakfish. [Read more…] about Long Island Baymen & Great South Bay Seafood

Rangers Recover Bodies at AuSable Chasm, Giant Mountain; Fight Fire & More

October 2, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

NYS Forest Rangers recovered the bodies of a 45-year-old hiker in the Giant Mountain Wilderness and a 60-year-old found in the water under the bridge at Ausable Chasm, in addition to responding to a wildfire in Long Lake and several other lost and injured Adirondack hikers. Three incidents occurred on a single day. [Read more…] about Rangers Recover Bodies at AuSable Chasm, Giant Mountain; Fight Fire & More

Rangers Respond to Wildfire, Gliders Crash, Injured Surveyor, Hikers

September 25, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Forest Rangers had a busy week responding to a variety of backcountry emergencies, including two gliders that crashed in Saratoga County, a wildfire at Henderson Lake in the Adirondacks, a surveyor with an injured leg in the Catskills, and more. [Read more…] about Rangers Respond to Wildfire, Gliders Crash, Injured Surveyor, Hikers

Search Continues For Moose River Plains Missing Man

September 3, 2026 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Craig K. Streeter, a 73-year-old resident of Mahopac, NY, is currently the subject of an active multi-agency search after going missing while camping in the Moose River Plains in Hamilton County in the Adirondack Park. [Read more…] about Search Continues For Moose River Plains Missing Man

Dr Helen Hosmer’s Rural Healthcare in the US & Canada

August 26, 2026 by Dave Waite Leave a Comment

In 1934, Doctor Helen Hosmer opened a physician’s office on West Street in the Village of Galway, in Saratoga County, NY. Originally from Billerica, Massachusetts, when Hosmer arrived in Galway, she was 50 years old, and though an experienced chemist and scientist, she was just beginning her career as a physician. [Read more…] about Dr Helen Hosmer’s Rural Healthcare in the US & Canada

A NYC Fire Department Fireboats History

August 17, 2026 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

With over 500 miles of shoreline, the fireboats of the FDNY have protected the city of New York for the last century and a half.

Utilizing historic images, David Rocco showcases their fascinating evolution from wooden-hull tugboats to modern-day specialized watercraft in Fireboats of the FDNY (Arcadia Press, 2026). [Read more…] about A NYC Fire Department Fireboats History

Campers Rescued from Violent Storm; Injured Cliff Jumper; Many More Rescues

July 29, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Forest Rangers spent a busy week rescuing numerous people from backcountry dangers, including: a 77-year-old rescued by helicopter in the Adirondack High Peaks; Lows Lake campers stranded by a violent storm; a teen medical emergency near Cranberry Lake; a capsized boat; an injured cliff jumper on the West Branch Ausable River which included a technical rope rescue; and dehydrated hikers and hikers with lower leg injuries in the Adirondacks and Catskills.

Be sure to eat before hiking and bring plenty of water and extra food that’s high in protein and calories. Read the Ten Hiking Essentials. [Read more…] about Campers Rescued from Violent Storm; Injured Cliff Jumper; Many More Rescues

1832: A Stuyvesant Lighthouse Disaster Kills Four Children

July 19, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The following text is from articles printed in March 1832 about the destruction of one of the Hudson River lighthouses on a tidal marsh flat near Stuyvesant Landing, only shortly after its construction in 1830.

A massive, moving field of spring ice crushed the 20 by 34 feet stone structure and killed four children. [Read more…] about 1832: A Stuyvesant Lighthouse Disaster Kills Four Children

Dog Rescued After Fall Over Falls; Ill and Injured Hikers Rescued

July 16, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Forest Rangers had another busy week with dangerous rescue operations in the Adirondacks, Catskills, and elsewhere. Including a dog that went over the edge at Fawn’s Leap Falls; an unconscious hiker at Kaaterskill Falls; several hikers with lower leg injuries; and more. [Read more…] about Dog Rescued After Fall Over Falls; Ill and Injured Hikers Rescued

Lake George’s Mailboat & A Near Lightning Disaster

June 16, 2026 by Joseph W. Zarzynski 1 Comment

For decades, the unofficial slogan of the United States Postal Service was: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” That phrase was chiseled over the entrance of the James A. Farley Building, a post office facility in New York City.

The spirit of that tagline was demonstrated one day when a pilot of the Lake George mailboat briefly interrupted his postal duties to rescue a boater in distress. [Read more…] about Lake George’s Mailboat & A Near Lightning Disaster

Rensselaer County Search and Rescue Marks 50 Years

June 10, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Rensselaer County Search and Rescue (RCSAR) is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Established in 1976, RCSAR has been finding missing adults and children across the northeast for decades.

RCSAR started with a local family, the Onderdonks, and a bloodhound named Boozer, who arrived in a whiskey box. [Read more…] about Rensselaer County Search and Rescue Marks 50 Years

New Rules After Death of Assistant Forest Ranger

May 26, 2026 by North Country Public Radio Leave a Comment

It’s been nearly a year since an Assistant Forest Ranger’s body was found in the Adirondack backcountry.

Brendan Jackson’s death revealed a key failure of how the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) tracks its staff in the field and prompted a review of its personnel policies. [Read more…] about New Rules After Death of Assistant Forest Ranger

Man Stuck Six Hours In Columbia County Cave Finally Rescued

May 22, 2026 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

An experienced caver was on a guided tour when he became trapped in Merlin’s Cave in the town of Canaan, Columbia County. On Sunday night, May 17 at about 6-7 pm, while crawling about 400 feet from the cave entrance, a Brooklyn man slipped into a tight crevice at what is known as the “Bear Trap.”

He was not injured but was wedged by the rib cage and pelvis and suffering hypothermia in the 50 degree temperature and near 100% humidity of the cave. Three of other cavers were with him in the cavern. [Read more…] about Man Stuck Six Hours In Columbia County Cave Finally Rescued

Early Season Paddling Tragedies Are A Cold Reminder

May 21, 2026 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Water currents can be strong at any time of year, but early season boaters, paddlers, anglers and swimmers are at a greater risk in spring when waters are still cold – cold enough to cause cold water shock, hypothermia and death in minutes.

Three recent stories highlight the dangers of recreating on and around cold and fast waters in Spring: [Read more…] about Early Season Paddling Tragedies Are A Cold Reminder

Rangers Respond: Missing Child, Brush Fires, Overnight High Peaks Rescue, Ill, Injured and Lost Hikers

May 21, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Hot dry weather and lack of rain remains a wildfire concern around state. Since May 4th, New York State Forest Rangers fought two brush fires. In Saratoga County a wildfire began with ashes dumped outside, and a two-acre fire of unknown origin in Warrensburg damaged a structure.

Rangers also provided overnight assistance of two lost hikers in the remote Cold Brook Pass in the Adirondack High Peaks, and aided in locating another near Indian Pass Brook. On May 8th they participated in the search for a missing eight-year-old in Allegany County. Those reports and more are below, provided by DEC: [Read more…] about Rangers Respond: Missing Child, Brush Fires, Overnight High Peaks Rescue, Ill, Injured and Lost Hikers

Davis Dalton & The Volunteer Life Saving Corps

April 13, 2026 by Joseph W. Zarzynski Leave a Comment

It was the year 1898, and only days from the end of summer. A group of boaters and swimmers at Lake George had just finished organizing a training session by the recently established Volunteer Life Saving Corps.

This was an era when organized water safety and life-guarding were virtually nonexistent, and swimming was more often viewed as “bathing,” requiring no formal skill. [Read more…] about Davis Dalton & The Volunteer Life Saving Corps

‘A Terrible Death Struggle’: The Wreck of the George W. Lee

April 2, 2026 by Dave Waite 3 Comments

The mournful sound of the midnight ferry skittered across the Hudson River, and rain clouds spat a parting gift onto Captain John Frawley as he urged his mules northward and passed out of sight.

Over the last sixteen hours, Frawley had brought the canal boat George W. Lee from the Morgan sawmill in Glens Falls, and forty miles down the Champlain Canal to the Albany Basin, where he deposited the year’s last load of lumber. Despite the rain, his trip down had been uneventful, even getting well-behaved mules when he stopped for a fresh team in Schuylerville. [Read more…] about ‘A Terrible Death Struggle’: The Wreck of the George W. Lee

18-Hour Search Locates Struggling Adirondack Hiker

February 27, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

An almost 18-hour overnight search in deep snow by more than 20 New York State Forest Rangers ended when an overdue hiker was found alive in a remote area of the Adirondack High Peaks.

The rescue effort began at 8:45 p.m. Wednesday when the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Ray Brook dispatch received a call at about 8:45 pm Wednesday from the spouse of hiker reporting that they were overdue in the Dix Range, a rugged and largely trail-less line of five mountains over 4,000 feet. [Read more…] about 18-Hour Search Locates Struggling Adirondack Hiker

Florida Man Found Deceased in Pharaoh Lake Wilderness

February 26, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

A man from Florida who failed to check out of his rented cabin in Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks was found deceased Tuesday, according to the New York State Police.

At about 12:30 pm on Tuesday, February 24th, State Police were called about the missing hiker, though to be on the Crane Pond Trail in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness Area in the Town of Schroon, Essex County. [Read more…] about Florida Man Found Deceased in Pharaoh Lake Wilderness

Search and Rescue

We Need Your Help Now More Than Ever

New York Almanack receives no public funds.

It’s supported only by readers like you.

Please give today (a monthly recurring gift is best)