A lot of dysfunctional things can happen when you mix drugs and hiking, but one group in New York might have taken things a bit too far after getting the police involved in a bogus death report for their companion (who is still alive). The only thing is, the high hikers probably thought their 911 call wasn’t a bogus report, or perhaps they didn’t know what was going on at all.
The incident took place in North Elba, New York, specifically in the Adirondack Mountains around May 24. Three hikers went on a trail and ingested some hallucinogenic mushrooms during the activity– probably not a good idea. Once they got to the summit, two of the hikers called 911 because, according to them, the third member of their group had died.
Additionally, the hikers reported that they were lost after arriving at the mountain’s summit and sought help from the summit’s steward. Thankfully, the steward immediately noticed that something was off and “determined the hikers were in an altered mental state,” based on the Department of Environmental Conservation’s press release, transcript courtesy of AP News.
So the steward called the third member of their group to their campsite (who was very much alive), and the two hikers who called 911 were taken to the hospital. Later, the three hikers met back at their campsite. Thankfully, the third member, whom they thought was dead, was healthy and didn’t even have any injuries. The two hikers likely hallucinated their third companion’s death due to the mushrooms.
Can’t Spell Fungi Without “Fun”
It’s not clear where exactly the “dead” third member wandered off to or whether they were also high along with the other two, but the three would’ve had one heck of a reunion back at their campsite, presumably once they’re sober. It’s not exactly the worst thing to happen after ingesting drugs in the mountains, though some comedic encounters tend to write themselves.
That’s why the three hikers’ mushroom mountain escapade became the butt-end of jokes online, especially since they got the police involved. You do have to give props to the two hikers, though, as they were still concerned about their third buddy despite the heavy intoxication.
In any case, while some have lightheartedly joked about the incident, others were a little too serious about it and would recommend that someone should be at least sober when the rest of the group decides to get high or drunk.
“it was ‘EGO DEATH’, although sometimes the same thing,” jokes GRN-E
“these people needed a sober trip buddy or a more experienced friend,” suggests kendraro