Binghamton Student Dies a Hero After Helping Colleagues Cross Gorge
A young student hiker has died a hero after helping others cross a slippery gorge. Binghamton University student Matthew Potel, died Friday while hiking with a group of people in the Adirondacks.
The boy’s mother, Cynthia Potel, said to the NY Post that at first “six out of the eight [students], including Matt, had made it across OK.”
She added: “Then two [female] students were left and had trouble. So Matt, practicing his [planned] profession of being an outdoor educator, to lead and protect, went back to help.”
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“He was able to get one across,” she told The Post.
“But as he was reaching for the last person, he turned, lost his footing, slipped and went head-first 25 feet down a ravine. He really died a hero,” said Cynthia.
The students were on a school-sponsored day trip near Lake Placid. Matt had hoped to celebrate Rosh Hashanah at home but according to his mom, “They needed him to lead this trip.”
“He planned the whole thing. He had all the maps. He did everything right,” Cynthia told the Post.
She continued: “But there was an unusual amount of wetness, rivulets, because of Hurricane Irene... He didn’t anticipate that. The trail actually had been closed up to a week before the hike. Then they opened it again, unfortunately -- because it was much more treacherous than usual.”
Matt was co-president of the Binghamton University Outdoors Club and was due to graduate in December.
