KEENE, N.Y. — A 60-year-old Canadian hiker was rescued after spending seven hours standing in one spot on an icy ledge in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, state forest rangers said, according to WCAX via Arizona’s Family.
Rangers said the man triggered an emergency satellite beacon around 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21 after losing his crampons, the traction spikes that attach to winter boots, while crossing an icy ledge on the Mount Colden Trap Dike.
Without traction, he could not safely climb up or down. Rescuers reached him around 1 a.m. and worked to secure him.
“If we both slip before I have him clipped in and on my tether, he’s dead,” Forest Ranger Jenna Curcio said.
Officials said the Trap Dike is rated a fourth-class mountaineering route and has claimed several lives over the years.
Rangers urged hikers to research routes and carry proper gear before heading into steep backcountry terrain. As temperatures drop, the same advice applies in Arizona’s high country, where snow and ice can make trails hazardous.
Sources: Arizona’s Family. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
