An injured hiker has been rescued from the Appalachian Trail in Kent.  The Kent Volunteer Fire Department responded to an area  high in the Schaghticoke section of the trail around 4:30pm Monday.  The rescue operation lasted more than 7 hours.  A UTV flat tire, two rain downpours and the onset of darkness made conditions more complex. 

An initial rescue team made contact with the patient to assess and provide care, but due to the terrain and remote location four-wheel UTV access would not be possible the entire way.  Emergency responders from Bantam, Cornwall, Warren, Gaylordsville, New Milford, Sherman, and Washington, along with Dover, New York were called to assist. More than 60 rescuers assisted. 

(Photo: Kent VFD)

All parties made it out of the backcountry safely and the patient was transported to an area hospital by Kent Ambulance.