New York State Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers last weekend rescued two ill-prepared hikers from New Jersey on separate occassions in the heart of the Catskill Mountains.

On the night of Nov. 15, a 53-year-old native of the Garden State got lost on Mount Mink near the summit of Slide Mountain Hollow. The hiker’s phone battery died and they had no other navigation or light source.

The disoriented hiker had the good fortune of stumbling upon a group of hikers at the Mink Hollow lean-to who called 911 to request ranger assistance. A ranger came and guided the lost hiker out of the woods and then to Notch Lake.

At noon the following day, a 30-year-old asthmatic from New Jersey called 911 after having difficulty breathing near the summit of Slide Mountain.

A ranger m

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