Two hikers in New York’s Adirondacks sparked a dramatic emergency response last week after calling 911 to report a tragedy that never occurred. The men, found on Cascade Mountain on 24 May, claimed their hiking companion had died and they were lost. According to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the rangers quickly launched a search.

But what they discovered wasn’t a body — it was confusion, hallucinations, and a still-very-much-alive friend.

“The two hikers were in an ‘altered mental state’ and had ingested ‘hallucinogenic mushrooms,’” stated the DEC in a press release.

A false alarm at 4,098 feet

Forest Ranger Praczkajlo responded to the distress call at 9 a.m., near the summit of Cascade Mountain in Essex County. The trail, sitting at 4,098 feet above sea level, is the 36th-tallest of the Adirondack High Peaks. According to AllTrails.com, it’s considered a “challenging route” that is “very popular for hiking and snowshoeing.”

But for this group, the danger came not from the terrain, but from what they had consumed.

After placing the emergency call, the two hikers encountered the Cascade Summit Steward. In addition to reporting the supposed death, they also said they were lost. The steward immediately noticed something was off and flagged their mental state to the authorities.

“Rangers eventually found the third person sober and uninjured and walked with them back to the group’s campsite,” the DEC confirmed.

Mushrooms, not mountain missteps

The source of the panic was not altitude sickness, but psilocybin — the chemical compound in certain mushrooms, often referred to as ‘magic mushrooms.’ According to Medical News Today, psilocybin can cause effects ranging from euphoria and distorted thinking to full-blown hallucinations.

It seems the two hikers had taken these mushrooms during their Memorial Day weekend trip, unaware of just how far from reality it would take them.

The DEC added, “Forest Ranger Praczkajlo escorted the two hikers who had ingested the hallucinogenic mushrooms to a waiting ambulance and a New York State Police unit.”

Their friend, who had been presumed dead, had simply gone on ahead and was later found alive and unharmed.

Stewards on the summit

Cascade Mountain is regularly visited by volunteers and professionals under the Adirondack Summit Stewardship Program. Started in 1990 with only two staff members, the programme now includes five full-time stewards, three botanists, and 20 volunteers (as of 2024). Their role is to assist hikers, conduct scientific research, and help maintain the ecological integrity of the area.

In this case, the steward’s presence helped avert further panic.

A walk that ended with a ride

The emergency call ended not in grief but with a reunion — and an ambulance ride for the two men under the influence. No charges were reported, and the DEC has not released the identities of those involved.

It was, in the end, a false alarm rooted not in injury or misadventure, but in misperception.

As the forest officials put it, the hikers had mistaken “tripping” for tragedy.