Four hikers who admitted to taking psychedelic mushrooms were rescued in New York’s Catskill Mountains after becoming disoriented and straying off the trail, officials said. It’s the second such case this year in New York’s popular mountain areas.
The group called for help around 5 p.m. on Aug. 29 when one member suffered a “debilitating high,” according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
Forest rangers and the Pine Hill Fire Department located the group at about 6:45 p.m. – less than 1,000 feet from the marked trail.
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The four men are in their 20s and one hiker was in the fetal position and unable to communicate, according to the New York Times.
One hiker was hallucinating about a bridge that did not exist, Forest Ranger Russell Martin told Fox News Digital.
Psychedelic mushrooms, also known as “magic mushrooms,” contain psilocybin, a hallucinogen that alters brain chemistry and can trigger vivid hallucinations, a warped sense of time, and rapid mood swings. Psilocybin mushrooms are illegal in New York.
“This was treacherous, steep Catskill terrain and when people intentionally get high like this, it reduces their ability to make good decisions,” Russell said. “Mushrooms are illegal, but whether you’re using marijuana or alcohol, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re with at least one responsible person who is not partaking.”
The men were hiking in the Giant Ledge area of the Slide Mountain Wilderness, about 80 miles southwest of Albany and one of the Catskills’ most popular trail destinations, offering sweeping views of Panther and Slide Mountains from a series of sheer rock outcrops. The ledges rise to about 3,200 feet, with hikers climbing roughly 1,200 feet from the trailhead to reach the overlook.
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The men had strayed about 1,000 feet off the trail, according to the New York Times.
Once rangers and firefighters located the men, they guided the group back to the trailhead, where they were evaluated. Officials said none of the men required hospitalization and rangers later drove them back to their rental lodging.
Somewhere along the way, the hikers also lost their car keys, officials said. The following day, one of the rangers hiked back up and found a sling bag with the keys under a log in tall ferns.
In May, two hikers in the Adirondack Mountains – in the northeastern part of New York state near Lake Placid – called authorities to report that a member of their hiking party had died. It turned out they had taken hallucinogenic mushrooms and were mistaken.
The hiker who was believed to be dead called and was not injured. A ranger escorted the two hikers down to an ambulance, which took them to a hospital and brought the third to the group’s campsite, where they all later met up, officials said.
The two hikers who called 911 also told a steward on the mountain’s summit that they were lost. The steward “determined the hikers were in an altered mental state,” according to the DEC.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
