On May 28 at 9:20 p.m., Ulster County requested forest-ranger assistance in the search for a lost hiker in the vicinity of Vernooy Falls in Rochester. Cell-phone coordinates placed a 43-year-old wonan a significant distance from the trail. At 11:45 p.m., ranger John Rusher located the subject in a swamp. The hiker from Napanoch had lost the trail and followed a drainage hoping it would lead to the falls, but instead got lost in a swamp.
The hiker did not have food or water and her phone’s battery was nearly dead. Ranger Rusher provided snacks and water and helped the hiker bushwhack out to the trailhead. The hiker declined medical treatment. New York State police provided a courtesy ride to her home.
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