NJ hiker freezes to death while hiking New York’s highest peak – despite calling 911 for help

ny post ^ | Natalie O'Neill

[BenLurkin]

An avid New Jersey outdoor buff slipped off a trail and froze to death while hiking New York’s highest peak with her dog — after it took rescuers more than six hours to find her in bitter single-digit temperatures, officials said Wednesday.

Brianna Mohr, 21 — who posted breathtaking Instagram photos of herself on remote adventures — called 911 while clinging to the side of Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks at 3 p.m. Thursday, according to police.

But rescuers couldn’t find Mohr, of Brick, until after 9 p.m., at which point she had died of hypothermia, New York State Police said.

Temperatures in Keene, New York, where the mountain is located, ranged from -8 to 20 degrees that day...

Avid hiker Brianna Mohr, of Brick, died of hypothermia after slipping off a trial.
Instagram/Brianna Mohr

Mohr’s dog was found uninjured.
Instagram/Brianna Mohr

[dandiegirl]

Hiking alone is a huge no no.

[cuban leaf]

Life is not a video game. You can’t just “respawn”. Actions have consequences, and one should think long and hard about some activities. Still, this is very sad for her loved ones.

[cuban leaf]

Yeah, 911 does not have god-like powers. Sometimes there is really nothing they can do except contact your next-of-kin.

[dandiegirl]

Said dog was found unharmed

[who knows what evil?]

Slept on a flat rock just below the summit to stay out of the breeze (which died off after sunset), but we were well-prepared with winter gear (even though early September)...probably in the low 40’s overnight. Marcy alone in late February? No way in hell. (Climbed a number of the 46’ers, but never made it up Marcy...go figure.)

[ProtectOurFreedom]

She had cell service on the mountain, called 911 at 3 p.m., but rescuers couldn’t find her until after 9 p.m. It isn't clear in this article if it was a tech shortcoming or a SAR failure.

But other articles say that NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers, assisted by State Police, immediately mobilized snowmobiles, tracked vehicles, and a State Police helicopter. The helicopter carried two rangers for spotting but heavy/low cloud cover around the summit prevented any visual sighting. One ranger was dropped at a lower outpost (Marcy Dam) to search on foot/ground.

The delay stemmed from environmental and logistical challenges, not reported issues with cell phone GPS or location sharing:

Factor	Impact on Rescue	Details
Heavy Cloud Cover	Prevented helicopter visual location; no aerial spotting possible.	Key factor cited in official accounts; forced reliance on ground teams.
Winter Terrain & Conditions	Slow ground travel; deep snow, steep/rugged alpine zone near summit.	Ascending to summit in winter takes hours even for rangers; mobilization from base adds time.
Extreme Cold	Rapid onset of hypothermia; victim succumbed before ground teams arrived.	Autopsy confirmed hypothermia as cause of death; exposure in single-digit temps deadly within hours.
Location Factors	No reported GPS/cell inaccuracies; she was near summit, but off-trail.	Sources do not mention phone location problems; summit area is often above treeline (better GPS signal).

She had cell service to call 911, and E911 likely provided a GPS fix, but the off-trail position near the summit, combined with clouds blocking air search, meant rescuers had to hike in.

---

Modern cell phones use GPS to locate you within 5-50 meters outdoors. In open-sky conditions, GPS is accurate to 3-5 meters, light forest canopy 5-10 meters, and heavy/dense canopy 8-20 meters. Worst case very dense canopy is 50+ meters. External antennas or dedicated devices (like inReach) often fare slightly better under heavy cover due to design. So phone GPS fares well against Garmin.

One of the great features about the Garmin is that, when you press the SOS button, it immediately sends your exact GPS coordinates (typically accurate to 5–10 meters under good conditions) to the Garmin Response center, a 24/7 professional emergency monitoring team. The device then automatically enters enhanced tracking mode where location updates every minute for the first 10 minutes, then every 10 minutes.

The other good thing is that the InReach contacts the 24x7 Garmin Response Center directly. They confirm the emergency, ask questions, provide updates, and relay information to local rescuers. Garmin Response coordinates with appropriate local search and rescue (SAR) authorities worldwide, sharing your location and details.

But, in Mohr's case, it sounds like the NYS DES was on top of their game and did everything text-book. It was just a bad case of all the holes in the Swiss cheese lining up (as the fly-guys like to say).

[1Old Pro]

(Climbed a number of the 46’ers, but never made it up Marcy...go figure.

Algonquin has easier access, which is why so many people choose that over Marcy. It's a much shorter hike as well.

[ansel12]

Everyone going on a hike or remote fishing, etc. should have some basic survival gear in a small container suitable for the occasion, from a little camera pouch on the belt with fire and survival blankets in it, to a light little daypack with enough to prevent hypothermia, for example fire and a bivy bag, hand warmers, windbreaker top and bottoms and such, not too bothersome to interfere with your fun, but with enough to miserably survive a situation that can be caused by weather or an injury.

I carry a small camera pouch survival kit on my belt when backpacking, and wear it at all times like my knife, just incase I wander off for firewood or sight seeing and have to spend a night away from my backpack and tent.

[SMARTY]

Probably got the “This is Rajeev…please hold” recording.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I did field service work in power plants in the west in the early 1970s. I was in some pretty remote areas. Like you, I always carried survival gear, a camp stove, pot, food, sleeping bag, small shovel.

[luckystarmom]

I’m guessing she fell and couldn’t reach emergency supplies.

[luckystarmom]

My husband goes backpacking by himself, and it scares me.

He finally got the InReach after he fell and broke his leg and had to hike out over 10 miles on a broken leg.

I still don’t like him going by himself, but at least he sends me text messages with his location throughout his trips now.

[Pol-92064]

You canucks are well known for your winter wx combat skills.

[libertylover]

Ha, ha. Yep!

[1Old Pro]

From ALL TRAILS: Great views from all three peaks. From Wright and Algonquin you have a great view of Lake Placid. You can even see the Olympic Ski jump. From Algonquin and Iroquois you'll have a nice view of high peaks to both the East and West. The first mile and a half are relatively flat with sparse rocks. After that you'll start gaining elevation quickly. At this point the density of rocks and size of rocks will increase. Wright peak is a fun stop. There are lots of bare rock faces on the trek up. After that, you'll continue up towards Algonquin. From this point you'll be walking on mostly bare rock face. On a dry day this will probably be straight forward. In wet and muddy conditions be prepared to spend more energy climbing rock face and finding little foot holds to prevent slipping. From Algonquin the trip to Iroquois is fun and simple. Follow the cairns down the south side of Algonquin and you'll eventually find a maintained trail. At some point you'll come to a sharp left turn and a sign that says foot trail left. To get to Iroquois you'll want to ignore this sign and look for a herd path to the right of the sign. This will take you to Iroquois. If you start rapidly losing elevation, you missed the heard path. There are a few points where you will need to pick up or hoist a dog, so this is only recommended for dogs you can assist. Traction devices are recommended during the late Fall through early spring when snow and ice is present on trail. Below - entry from a recent hiker Wailin Trails Feb 16, 2026 Started off at Heart Lake lot around 6:00AM, clear skies and around 20°, great conditions. Trail to Wright was well packed and trail was easy to walk and follow. Getting to Wright summit was very easy, honestly easiest of the 46rs I've done so far. Last 200 feet or so were icy and rocky. Ditched snowshoes and put on spikes, so be careful with your footing and spikes a must but nothing technical or overly dangerous so long as you take your time and watch your steps. Trail from Wright to Algonquin was also packed down very well.

Steep in sections so snowshoes with good traction all the way up. Rocky and slightly icy up above the treeline but again nothing technical and ice wasn't bad, just take it easy and you'll be fine. Algonquin to Iroquois herd path was easy to follow, but the snow between the two peaks and Boundary Peak was very, very deep, at least 6' it seems in places. Definitely make sure you keep your shoes on cause postholing can get bad. Iroquois was icier than Wright or Algonquin so be careful again. Trail down from Algonquin back to the lot was fun, lots of sliding down the steeper parts. All in all physically challenging but not technical, most should have no problem with a good early start and taking it slow and careful near the summits.

We saved some time taking the Old Marcy Dam Trail back, we beat a few groups who had passed us while we were stopped and then continued on the VH Trail. Got back to our car around 4:00PM with plenty of stops at viewpoints and lunch at the top coming back up Algonquin. 5/5 fantastic hike.

[ansel12]

Read my post, the supplies are on you.

[dagunk]

My rule was only to ride when the temperature started with a 5 and preferably with a 6.

****************************************

I’ve started with 2s but I looked like the Abominable Snowman when I finished putting on my gear (snicker).

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Wow, broke his leg and hiked out 10 miles!? He’s one tough guy.

I’ll do max 7 mile jaunts in the woods, fields and mountains. At 74, I don’t camp any more, don’t do any backpacking any more, and I usually will find other people on the trails (but not always). I am often out of cell service out there, so the InReach is a comfort. It was nice of my wife to get it for me.

[TexasGator]

“There’s such a simple solution if you are out in the wilderness by yourself. My wife bought one for me (though, at times, I think she’d rather I left it behind).”

For a small monthly fee use T-Mobile’s satellite servicewith your smart phone.

Maps, texting and exploring apps.

[dfwgator]

Wow, broke his leg and hiked out 10 miles!? He’s one tough guy.

---

“PROPER LITTLE MUMMY’S BOY AREN’T WE!?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52EEzBNn48g