[at-l] Anyone Know Anything about This?---

[lwbooher@halifax.com (Leslie Booher)]

  New Jersey briefs
Monday, July 31, 2000







Wanaque man dies while hiking Appalachian Trail

An 18-year-old Wanaque man died while hiking the Appalachian Trail, and
authorities were awaiting autopsy results to determine what killed him.

Gregory M. Lake of Snake Den Road was stricken atop a mountain in Salisbury,
Conn., in the northwest corner of the state, on Friday. He reportedly had
been struggling to breathe and fell unconscious.

Lake was hiking with his father and uncle about a mile south of Routes 112
and 7, authorities said. Shortly before 7 p.m., one of the men told a group
of nearby campers that Lake was in trouble, according to a report filed by
Troop B of the Connecticut State Police.

Using a cellular phone, the campers -- among them several emergency medical
technicians -- told state troopers in Canaan that Lake was unresponsive and
that cardiopulmonary resuscitation was under way, according to the police
report.

The call brought a number of state troopers and rescue workers. Three
emergency medical technicians who hiked a steep trail to reach the scene
encountered a number of rattlesnakes, said Falls Village Fire Chief Curt
Mechare.

Lake was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

Phone calls placed to Lake's parents were not immediately returned Sunday.

The police report noted that Lake didn't appear to be physically injured.
The case remains under investigation by the Connecticut Medical Examiner's
Office and Connecticut State Police.



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