By Shawn Ness | October 24, 2022
A pair of University at Albany students were left behind at the Student Association (SA)-hosted Fall Fest at Dippikill Wilderness Retreat after getting lost on the property.
A photo of Ranger Thompson and the two UAlbany students
Photo Credit: Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), used with permission
Dippikill is the SA-owned private 1000-acre wilderness retreat facility located in Warren County, N.Y., approximately an hour-and-half from UAlbany’s uptown campus. The Fall Fest, held on Oct. 1, consisted of various activities, such as pumpkin carving, movies and dinner.
Authorities and the Student Association declined to provide the students’ names for privacy reasons.
SA President Enid Walker responded to an ASP inquiry for comment with an overview of the incident, noting that, “alternate modes of transportation were available for the two attendees to safely return back to campus and the decision was made to send the fully loaded buses back to the university.”
Walker also said that SA would not be providing additional comments on the matter, but that they thank the DEC for their help in locating the students.
According to an email from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), forest rangers learned of a request for assistance at 9:30 p.m. for two students who had gotten lost on a trail near Dippikill Pond. According to the UAlbany SA Instagram page, buses were scheduled to leave Dippikill at 10 p.m..
The rangers on the scene said the two were “cold, hungry, and thirsty, but healthy.” The ranger, identified only as Ranger Thompson, gave the students warm clothing, food, and headlamps before leading them out of the woods to the Dippikill Wilderness Retreat Facility. The students were later picked up by one of the student’s parents the following morning.