83-Year-Old Hiker Rescues Herself: Forest Rangers

CATSKILL MOUNTAINS, NY — New York forest rangers were contacted at 10:20 p.m. Saturday about an overdue hiker who had been dropped off at the Biscuit Brook trailhead at 7:30 a.m. They were told the 83-year-old from Shandaken met other hikers at the trailhead and had advised she would get a ride home when she was finished.

At 12:55 a.m., Forest Ranger Franceschina and local police checked the hiker’s residence and confirmed she had not returned home. Franceschina and Stratton began linear searches over Big Indian and Fir mountains, where she was scheduled to hike.

At 1:30 a.m., state police received coordinates from her phone on Fir Mountain, but when rangers arrived at the location, she was not there.

At daybreak, five additional rangers and Catskill Mountain Search and Rescue joined the search.

At 10 a.m., the lost hiker sought assistance from a resident on Frost Valley Road. The homeowner called 911 to report a hiker was lost and at the residence seeking assistance.

She was interviewed, evaluated, and found to be in good health. At 12:30 p.m., Shandaken police drove her home.