Search for Quebec hiker missing in Adirondacks now likely a recovery mission

Leo Dufour is shown in a handout photo from the New York State Police Facebook page. Authorities in New York State have cut back the search for a 22-year-old Quebec hiker who went missing in the Adirondacks more than a week ago. (The Canadian Press/HO-Facebook-New York State Police)

Authorities in New York state say the search for a 22-year-old Quebec hiker who went missing in the Adirondacks more than a week ago is now likely a recovery mission.

The New York State Forest Rangers say heavy snow and cold temperatures have made the search "essentially impossible," and future efforts will depend on the weather.

Leo Dufour of Vaudreuil, Que., went hiking on Allen Mountain on Nov. 29, but failed to return the following day as planned.

“When you give it 100 per cent you hope to have some kind of conclusion or result. So it's extremely hard," said incident Cmdr. Jamison Martin in a Monday briefing to reporters. "You want to do it for the family. You obviously want to find Leo alive. It's hard from every front."

Martin said snow has fallen every day since Dufour went missing. The hike up and down the mountain is at least 16 kilometers round trip, he said, and the snow is now more than a meter deep at the summit. Temperatures on the mountain, about 25 kilometers south of Lake Placid, have dropped below minus 30 degrees C at times, said Capt. Sarah Geesler.

“The search conditions are about as rough as you could imagine,” Martin said. “If you stop moving... your body's going to shut down in a matter of hours, no matter how fit you are. You just can't survive it."

Martin said about 60 rangers have searched extensively in the area, and the last clue they found as to Dufour's whereabouts was a water bottle near the summit. Dufour's car was found covered in snow at the trailhead, and Martin said rescuers believe they found a one-way set of footprints heading up the mountain.

“Anything's possible,” he said when asked if Dufour could still be alive. "He might not be up on Allen. But everything points that he is."

The rangers said the search for Dufour will continue on a limited basis when the weather allows it, but it's currently very difficult to get rescuers into the area. Martin said future efforts will focus on flying rescuers onto the mountain so they can search from the top down.  

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2024.