
VIDEO: Daring Rescue of Stranded Hikers in Upstate New York
In what looked like a scene pulled straight from an action movie, stranded hikers were recently retrieved in a daring maneuver that saw first responders lowered by ropes over a vertical cliff face.
Even with warmer temperatures, weather can still play a massive role in hiker safety in New York State. Instead of snow and ice, it was something else entirely that forced authorities to choose a more extreme method for their rescue.
Cliffside Rescue of Hikers in Hi Tor Wildlife Management Area
It took the cooperation of forest rangers, two rope teams, and multiple fire departments to extract the hikers who found that high water meant exiting Conklin Gully the way they entered would be impossible (below).
On March 11, Forest Ranger Dormer responded to a report of two stranded hikers at Conklin Gully in Hi Tor Wildlife Management Area. Mud, erosion, and high-water flows made it difficult for the pair from Manchester and Farmington to return the way they had hiked in
Rope Rescue at Conklin Gully in Ontario County, NY
The rope teams, which were lowered into the gully, attached harnesses to the hikers before reversing course and "walking" up the cliffside with help from belayers above. Video footage below shows exactly how extreme the operation was.
Recent Rope Rescues in New York State
The maneuver was a more daring version of several other recent rope rescues, including a rescue of an adorable dog in Orange County, NY and the extraction of a car crash victim in Ontario County, NY.

Of course, humans aren't the only New Yorkers that can be in need of a rescue. Check out what happened at Minnewaska State Park when a small dog became trapped in the bottom of a crevasse below.
Dog Rescued After Being Trapped in Rocky Crevice at Minnewaska
City of Newburgh Firefighters Save Dog on Frozen Hudson River
Gallery Credit: Timothy Dexter
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