If the DEC is throwing 'distressed' incidents into the 'lost hiker' category, that must be something new. Back in 2015 I reviewed 190 incidents (JAN-NOV) and discovered 38 categories.
They certainly weren't using 'lost hiker' as a catch-all back then! They distinguished between lost, distressed, injured, overdue, and stranded.
BTW, in that same thread, MtnManJohn argues that some of the 'distressed' victims qualified as medical injuries and could've been categorized as 'injured' ... so that only increases the 'injured' slice of the pie chart.
Stats for the High Peaks area for Jan-Nov 2015:
Injured Hiker, 61% (33/54)
Distressed Hiker, 55% (16/29)
Lost Hiker, 19% (9/48)
Overdue, 75% (6/8)
You may notice that of the 48 lost hiker incidents reported for the entire ADK Park, only 9 were in the High Peaks. Conversely, the majority of injured/distressed incidents occurred in the High Peaks.
- Camper Stricken
- Distress Paddler
- Distressed Camper
- Distressed Hiker
- Distressed Rock Climber
- Distressed Swimmer
- Hiker in the Dark
- Hiker Rescue
- Injured Camper
- Injured Climber
- Injured Cyclist
- Injured Emergency Responder
- Injured Fisherman
- Injured Hiker
- Injured Skier
- Injured Snowmobiler
- Lost Biker
- Lost Hiker
- Lost Hunter
- Lost Individual
- Lost Kayaker
- Lost Minor
- Lost Motorist
- Lost Paddler
- Lost Runner
- Lost Skier
- Lost Snowshoer
- Lost Youth
- Missing Child
- Missing Hiker
- Missing Individual
- Missing Person
- Missing Youth
- Overdue Hiker
- Overdue Hunter
- Rock Climbing Rescue
- Stranded Climber
- Stranded Hiker
They certainly weren't using 'lost hiker' as a catch-all back then! They distinguished between lost, distressed, injured, overdue, and stranded.
BTW, in that same thread, MtnManJohn argues that some of the 'distressed' victims qualified as medical injuries and could've been categorized as 'injured' ... so that only increases the 'injured' slice of the pie chart.
Stats for the High Peaks area for Jan-Nov 2015:
Injured Hiker, 61% (33/54)
Distressed Hiker, 55% (16/29)
Lost Hiker, 19% (9/48)
Overdue, 75% (6/8)
You may notice that of the 48 lost hiker incidents reported for the entire ADK Park, only 9 were in the High Peaks. Conversely, the majority of injured/distressed incidents occurred in the High Peaks.
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