08/05/2025
Teen Hiker Airlifted After Collapsing Near Nippletop Mountain
Photo Provided
Keene, NY – July 29, 2025 — A 14-year-old camper from Camp Chingachgook was rescued from the remote Elk Pass area of Nippletop Mountain after losing consciousness during a hike, prompting a coordinated wilderness rescue by Forest Rangers and New York State Police Aviation.
Ray Brook Dispatch received the emergency call at 6:56 p.m. Forest Ranger Quinn instructed the camp counselor to move the teen, identified only as a resident of Needham, into the shade and begin aggressive cooling using water.
Due to the remote terrain, New York State Police Aviation was deployed. NYSP Pilot Engel flew Rangers Lewis and O’Dell to a swamp near the group’s location. The rescuers then carried the unconscious teen through waist-deep water and mud to the helicopter, which transported the patient to an ambulance waiting at Marcy Field.
Ranger Quinn advised the remaining group, exhausted from a full day of hiking and lacking headlamps, to stay overnight and hike out the next morning. All campers safely returned to base the following day.
Rescue operations concluded by 8:43 p.m. The teen’s condition has not been publicly released.
