‘Petrified’ hiker clings to small tree after falling hundreds of feet on NY mountain
A 46-year-old hiker grasped onto a small spruce tree to keep herself from falling over a cliff after sliding hundreds of feet down a snowy mountain in New York, rangers said.
“She quite honestly thought she was going to die up there,” ranger Jamison Martin said.
Hope Lloyd reached the summit of South Dix Mountain on Dec. 26, Department of Environmental Conservation rangers said in a news release and the Associated Press reported.
Then Lloyd tumbled ”several hundred feet” down the mountain, catching herself before going over the edge of a cliff, rangers said.
At about 5:30 p.m., she called 911.
‘Treacherous’ weather conditions
Rescuers told Lloyd it would take hours before they could reach her, so she had to keep herself warm with her emergency blanket, Martin said in a video detailing the event.
The woman felt stuck and was “petrified to move in any direction,” Martin said.
Meanwhile, weather conditions were deemed “treacherous” and what Martin called “hypothermia weather.”
Rescuers had to go through freezing rain, ice and snow before reaching her at about 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 27. They gave her warm drinks, food and dry clothing before helping her off the mountain five hours later, rangers said.
“I feel extremely grateful. Extremely grateful,” Lloyd told the AP. “I just want to hug everybody.”
South Dix Mountain is part of the Adirondack Mountains, which have 46 peaks. Lloyd has hiked all 46 mountains twice and was working on her third attempt when she fell, Martin said.
This story was originally published January 5, 2024 at 2:36 PM with the headline "‘Petrified’ hiker clings to small tree after falling hundreds of feet on NY mountain."
