Crime & Safety

2 Huntington Hikers Rescued Upstate

State police say pair safe after getting stranded in Catskills.

Two Huntington hikers were rescued Sunday after they were stranded overnight in the Catskills Mountains.

State troopers said Michael Leleszi and Erin McKinstry were stranded Saturday night on Slide Mountain in Shandaken, Ulster County, 50 miles southwest of Albany. Police say the two had spent the night with clothes and shelter provided by other hikers they had encountered.

After receiving a 911 call early Sunday morning, a trooper and two state forest rangers hiked to the mountain and located the pair. They were suffering from exposure. The search team provided them with food, dry clothes and warmth before escorting them down the mountain.

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Both were checked out by an emergency crew but didn't require additional medical treatment.

The state Department of Conservation said the area  is a rugged, mountainous wilderness. Elevations range from 1,100 feet to 4,180 feet.

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