Four Hikers Rescued After Consuming Psychedelic Mushrooms

Four hikers had to be rescued in New York’s Catskill Mountains after ingesting psychedelic mushrooms and becoming too impaired to find their way out of the Slide Mountain Wilderness last Friday.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the group sent a satellite text around 5pm requesting help, admitting they had eaten mushrooms and reporting that one of them was experiencing “a debilitating high.”

The section of trail where the hikers stopped included elevations up to 2,600 feet with steep cliffs and hazardous drop-offs, explained James McCartney, President of the Police Benevolent Association of New York State.

Forest rangers, assisted by the Pine Hill Fire Department, reached the group nearly two hours later and guided them back down the trail. One hiker was so impaired that two rangers had to physically support them during the descent.

In addition to guiding the group to safety, rangers provided transportation to their rental lodge after the hikers realized their car keys had been misplaced. The following day, a ranger returned to the trail and recovered the group’s sling bag, which had been left “under a log in tall ferns,” the DEC reported.

“This level of dedication, at the start of a busy Labor Day weekend, is representative of the commitment shared by our Forest Ranger members. The PBA of New York State is proud to highlight our Forest Rangers and all members’ continued dedication to public safety in the face of difficulty and danger,” McCartney said.

Psilocybin mushrooms, also known as magic mushrooms, are capable of producing hallucinations and altering sensory perception, including colors and shapes according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Four Hikers Rescued After Consuming Psychedelic Mushrooms