A 21-year-old hiker died after slipping off the trail near the summit of Mount Marcy, New York’s tallest peak, authorities said.
The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reported that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) confirmed the victim, who was from New Jersey, was found dead near the summit area Thursday night.
Officials have not released the hiker’s name or gender.
The NYSDEC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, but a spokesperson for the state government agency told the Adirondack Daily Enterprise the hiker had called 911 at 3:05 p.m., saying they slipped and were unable to get back onto the trail.
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A dog was with the victim, and it was not immediately clear whether anyone else was hiking with them or what caused the slip.
Two forest rangers tried to locate the hiker from a State Police helicopter, but heavy cloud cover around Mount Marcy’s summit prevented them from making visual contact, a NYSDEC spokesperson told the outlet.
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Around 6:06 p.m., one of the rangers was dropped at the Marcy Dam Outpost — roughly five miles from and nearly 3,000 feet below the summit — to begin a ground search.
The ranger then hiked toward the hiker’s last known location near the summit and found the 21-year-old at 9:51 p.m., deceased, according to the spokesperson.
The dog was found alive and was led off the mountain by rangers, officials said, but poor weather conditions initially prevented crews from recovering the hiker’s body.
A State Police helicopter transported two forest rangers to the site on Friday morning, where they were able to recover the hiker’s remains.
“The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation offers its condolences to the family,” the spokesperson said.
