Missing Hudson Valley Hiker Stranded Overnight on Cliff Saved

A local man is lucky to be okay after he went missing overnight. Authorities say he had gone out for a hike Tuesday, only to slip and fall down a cliff.

NBC says it was his own screams for help that actually saved him. The man was all alone through the night in freezing temperatures but is expected to be okay, according to NBC.

Hudson Valley Hiker Goes Missing 

NBC says the Upper Nyack man had gone out for a hike Tuesday when the accident happened. After not hearing from him in some time, his wife called Clarkstown Police to report him missing late Tuesday afternoon. She said that her husband often walked the Nyack beach area, and it wasn't like him to not return home like this.

NBC says that authorities in Rockland County launched a huge search through the area around Nyack Beach State Park and Hook Mountain. that would involve K9s, drones, and foot patrols. Authorities also would call upon a "high-angle rescue team" for an assist, due to the rugged, steep terrain of the area. NBC says a jogger eventually heard the missing man's screams for help Wednesday and notified authorities.

HV Man Saved 

NBC says that he was was put into a basket and lifted up to a hiking trail. There, paramedics treated him for non-life-threatening injuries and took him to a hospital.

Search and Rescue 

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's website, Forest Rangers conducted 426 search and rescue missions across the state in 2021 alone.

A 63-year-old man from North Carolina had to be rescued in October, after hitting his knee on a rock and possibly tearing a ligament on the state's highest peak. Because of the high elevation, New York State Police Aviation division was called in to help with the rescue.

Man Rescued NY's Highest Summit 

The DEC shared on their Facebook page that the hiker had inured himself, while hiking with his wife, around a mile from the summit of Mount Marcy on October 12. Rangers were able to splint the injured man's leg and walk him to a safe location to hoist by helicopter.

The DEC says that NYSP Aviation flew the patient to Adirondack Medical Center, while one of the Rangers hiked out to Marcy Dam with the man's wife.

New York's Highest Mountain 

Mount Marcy is the highest peak in all of New York state at 5,344 feet. The mountain is located in the Adirondack High Peaks in Essex County, near the town of Keane, NY. Lake Tear of the Clouds is often cited as the highest source of the Hudson River. The peak was named after former New York Governor William L. Marcy.