‘Dead’ hiker was alive and friends who called 911 were on mushrooms, NY rangers say

Two hikers called 911 to report their hiking companion had died, New York rangers said.

Turns out, they were on mushrooms.

On May 24, Forest Ranger Rob Praczkajlo responded to a call on Cascade Mountain in Essex County after getting reports about a three-hiker party having learned one of the companions had died, according to a news release by the Department of Environmental Conservation.

After reaching the Cascade Summit Steward, the hikers realized they were also lost, rangers said.

That’s when Praczkajlo determined that the hikers were in an “altered mental state,” rangers said.

Eventually, the missing third hiker who had been deemed as “dead” called and was uninjured, rangers said.

Praczkajlo guided the hikers, who had taken hallucinogenic mushrooms, to a waiting ambulance and the third hiker was taken back to the group’s campsite, rangers said.

Essex County is about a 260-mile drive north from New York City.

This story was originally published May 29, 2025 at 11:21 AM with the headline "‘Dead’ hiker was alive and friends who called 911 were on mushrooms, NY rangers say."