Stranded hiker saved after 4-hour rescue at Bare Mountain

AMHERST — A woman who got lost while hiking at Bare Mountain at the Holyoke Range, stranded near the edge of a cliff, was safely rescued following a nearly four-hour effort Saturday night, according to the Amherst Fire Department.

At 7:49 p.m., the woman, described as being in her 50s, called emergency dispatch because she was alone, was lost and had slid down an embankment after going off a trail. The woman had ended up down one of the shale areas to a ledge where she could not get herself out.

Both Amherst Police and Fire departments responded, along with rangers from the state’s Department of Conservation Services, locating the woman about an hour later.

Due to the rugged terrain in the area of the Notch, the Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team was called to assist with the getting the hiker out, with ropes and harnesses used to pull her back up to a trail so she could be walked out.

She was evaluated by Amherst paramedics, but didn’t need medical attention.

About 20 emergency personnel took part in getting the woman to safety.