Family Rescued After Lost in Extreme Weather On New York's Tallest Mountain

A family got lost after climbing Mt. Marcy, New York's tallest mountain.

ByABC News
March 23, 2015, 12:36 PM

— -- Forest rangers rescued a mother and her two sons after the family got lost in the Adirondacks on their way down from reaching the summit of Mt. Marcy, New York State’s highest mountain.

Governor Cuomo commended the forest rangers from the Department of Environmental Conservation, along with the conservation officers and state police, who all worked overnight Sunday in extreme cold and winds to locate and rescue the family.

Ning Cai, 39, and her two sons, ages 7 and 11, reached the summit of Mt. Marcy and began trekking down late Saturday afternoon when they got lost, according to a statement from Cuomo's Press Office.

Cai made a 911 call to report she and her children were unable to locate the trail, the statement added, saying Rangers searched for the family overnight in “sub-zero temperatures and high winds.”

A state police helicopter pilot spotted Cai and her two boys near Mt. Marcy’s summit around 11 a.m. Sunday, the governor’s office said, adding forest rangers were hoisted down to rescue the mom and boys.

PHOTO: Forest Rangers off load seven year old boy from State Police helicopter. The boy, his eleven year old brother and mother spent the night lost on Mt. Marcy.
Forest Rangers off load seven year old boy from State Police helicopter. The boy, his eleven year old brother and mother spent the night lost on Mt. Marcy.

The family was transported via helicopter to Adirondack Medical Center in Lake Placid, where they were said to be in fair condition and treated for cold-related injuries, the governor’s office added.

“We are all grateful that the family is now safe, thanks to the exceptional work of the Forest Rangers and State Police,” Cuomo said. “Time and time again, DEC Forest Rangers, DEC Environmental Conservation Police and the New York State Police selflessly heed the call to help others in the most dire of situations to ensure the safety of the residents and visitors of New York State. I congratulate them all on a job well done.”