After more than eight days, New York authorities are scaling back the search for a Quebec hiker who went missing in the snow-covered Adirondack Mountains.
Léo Dufour, 22, of Vaudreuil, Que., went hiking on Nov. 29 near Allen Mountain in the High Peaks Region, known for its remoteness and rugged terrain. He was expected back the following night.
Dozens of New York State Police (NYSP) and forest rangers with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) quickly organized a search effort after locating Dufour’s snow-covered car at the trailhead and a set of tracks.
Since Dec. 1, the DEC says in a statement, 59 forest rangers searched roughly 640 kilometres by foot and NYSP deployed two helicopters to support those on the ground, transport crews and search by air as weather conditions allowed.
Along with heat-detecting technology, known as forward-looking infrared, authorities analyzed Dufour’s cellphone data in an effort to pinpoint his location. The Department of Homeland Security was also assisting with communications.
But harsh winter weather conditions hampered the search.
During a Monday news conference, Incident Cmdr. Jameson Martin with the DEC said it snowed every day since Dufour went missing, temperatures were dipping below -30 C at night and conditions aren’t getting any better.
Dufour’s water bottle was located near the top of Allen Mountain, which stands at 1,323 metres. Around the summit, Capt. Sarah Geesler said the snow is over a metre deep.
“The conditions are just brutal,” said Martin.
Hiking from trailhead to summit is over 15 kilometres of difficult terrain. The search needs to be scaled back so as to not put rangers at further risk, said Martin, expressing his own exhaustion and frustration after more than a week of search efforts.
“It’s extremely hard,” he said. “You obviously want to find Léo alive.”
As of midnight Tuesday, the effort will transition to a limited continuous search, the DEC says.
Active field searches will be suspended but still may include air searches, backcountry patrols and outreach. The operation will upgrade to an active search if any leads regarding the whereabouts of Dufour are realized.
Martin said searching will be weather dependent so rangers can be airlifted in and search from the top down, expending less energy just getting to the search location. He said it will likely be a recovery effort, but anything is possible.
“If you stop moving, if you don’t have the puffy suits to get into, your body is going to shut down in a matter of hours,” he said.
Both Martin and Geesler said people should not go searching the area on their own. They said not only are the conditions near impossible in the forest, but the roads are treacherous as well. Martin said rescue services needed to be diverted once already after a would-be volunteer crashed their vehicle.
Martin also recommended people don’t winter hike alone in the region. Geesler said hiking the summit of Allen Mountain in the winter is possible with the right gear, but carrying a satellite communication device is recommended.
Martin said authorities have been in communication with Dufour’s family, but will be keeping those conversions private.
According to the NYSP, Dufour was known to be wearing a black Arc Teryx Coat, black shell pants, a tan winter hat, a black backpack and reflective sunglasses. He had snowshoes, spikes and other gear.
He weighs approximately 150 pounds, stands about five feet seven inches and has brown hair.
Anyone with information can contact the NYSP at 518-897-2000.
