Hikers report friend had died in the mountains - they were all just high on mushrooms

mistakenly called to report that a third member of their group had died. However, when the park ranger responded to the incident it turned out they were all just high on hallucinogenic mushrooms, officials say.

When New York state Robert Praczkajlo set out to Cascade Mountain last Saturday, May 24 he thought he was looking for a body after two hikers called 911 to report a death. What he encountered instead were two hikers who were very high on mushrooms, and terrified that their friend was dead. The two hikers also told him that they were lost.

"The steward determined the hikers were in an altered mental state," the state's Department of Environmental Conservation, DEC said.

The third hiker was uninjured and not dead, reported the DEC.

Ranger Praczkajlo escorted the two hikers, who had ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms, to a waiting ambulance and New York State Police unit.

The ranger then escorted the third hiker back to their campsite. Details of the saga were reported on Wednesday in a weekly bulletin by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, external.

Before the ranger arrived to find the group, they met a "summit steward" whose job is to stand at the top of the mountain to ensure the conservation of the sensitive alpine habitat.

None of the hikers were named in the reports, and it is unclear whether they are in any legal trouble following their trip up Cascade Mountain which is located in New York State near Lake Placid.

It is a part of the Adirondack High Peaks and is the 36th tallest, according to information available on .

Spanning across 5.6 miles and has an elevation gain of 2,286 feet, the Cascade Mountain Trail is considered to be a "challenging route," according to All Trails.

It is a very popular area for birding, hiking, and snowshoeing.