Politics
The Hiker Who Vanished in the Adirondacks
Léo Dufour, a 22-year-old Canadian student, was no novice when he set off to summit Allen Mountain alone last November. His death remains a mystery.
Good morning. It’s Friday. Today we’ll look at the unexplained death in the Adirondack Mountains of an experienced young hiker, whose disappearance prompted a sweeping but fruitless search; his remains were found by accident months later.
Credit…via New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Three weeks ago, a hiking party in upstate New York found human remains off a trail in the Adirondack Mountains. An autopsy confirmed that they belonged to Léo Dufour, a 22-year-old Canadian university student and experienced hiker whose disappearance more than five months earlier set off an all-out search.
The cause of Dufour’s death had not been determined as of this week, leaving a question that may never be answered: How did such a hardy young man become the rare hiker to vanish and die in the Adirondacks?
Millions of people visit the Adirondack area each year. Many, like Dufour, who lived in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec, a Montreal suburb, come to hike. And many, like him, have the range’s 46 High Peaks in their sights.
He arrived in Newcomb, N.Y., on Friday, Nov. 29, to make the roughly 18-mile round trip to the summit of Allen Mountain, one of the 46 peaks. The hike can take four hours or more each way. He was expected back home Saturday night.
