Another Group Of Hikers Gets Too High On Shrooms, Needs Rescue In Catskills
Another mushroom-fueled misadventure in New York's Catskill Mountains ended with forest rangers pulling lost hikers off the trail
It’s happened again.
Just three months after a group of hikers tripping on psychedelic mushrooms called 911 to report their friend had died (spoiler: he hadn’t), another batch of nature lovers had to be rescued in the Catskill Mountains after getting too high.
Four hikers were near Giant Ledge in the Slide Mountain Wilderness on Aug. 29 when they texted Ray Brook Dispatch via satellite around 5 p.m. to say they were lost. One member of the group "was experiencing a debilitating psychedelic mushroom high," according to the New York State Police and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
This section of the Catskills includes rugged, interconnected trails and cliffs ranging from 1,100 to 2,600 feet in elevation. Not exactly the ideal spot to have a full-on existential crisis.
Forest Rangers located the group around 6:45 p.m., and they were rescued by the Pine Hill Fire Department and evaluated by Shandaken Ambulance.
The group had also lost their car keys, so rangers gave them a lift back to their rental. The next day, a very kind ranger returned to the area and found their keys "under a log in tall ferns."
"This level of dedication, at the start of a busy Labor Day weekend, is representative of the commitment shared by our Forest Ranger members," said James McCartney, President of the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) of New York State.
Slide Mountain and Woodland Valley seen from Giant Ledge in the Catskill Mountains Panorama of upstate New York.
Psilocybin mushrooms can have effects ranging from euphoria to hallucinations — colloquially known as tripping balls. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Just confused, lost and probably rethinking their life decisions.
For legal reasons, we're not encouraging the use of magic mushrooms. But if you are going to dabble while enjoying the great outdoors, maybe save it for when you're safely tucked into your campsite.
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