‘In and Out of Consciousness': Rescued NY Hiker Speaks Out

Winter in New York state can be as beautiful as it is deadly. 19-year-old hiker Joe “Dmytri” Gutch learned the threats of the season the hard way after a casual hike turned near-catastrophic. Stranded on a mountaintop, he found himself in waist-deep snow, hypothermic and falling in and out of consciousness. Dmytri recently spoke out about his miraculous rescue.

Stranded

"I started in a t-shirt", Dmytri said of his hike. "Then we summitted the first peak... and that's when the winds really started picking up". His original plan of climbing three separate peaks in the Adirondack mountains was cut short when the weather and lack of supplies stranded him without a game plan, and night was coming quickly.

NY Rangers to the Rescue

"I was in that [certain] stage of hypothermia where...  almost 20 times I was in and out of consciousness", Dmytri shared.

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Luckily, there was cell service. Rangers locked in on Dmytri's location through his phone, also using the opportunity to keep him awake and encourage him to find a trail. "That's an intense moment", Dmytri said, "when you're told that you have to get to a certain coordinate or else you die".

"It's the best feeling in the world", a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) ranger said of finally finding the lost hiker. "When you finally find them... it's just incredible". Dmytri shared his story below.

There are always rangers and other first responders working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep hikers safe. Check out some more fantastic rescues (human and otherwise) below.