FAIRFAX, Va. - A Virginia man who went missing in the Adirondack High Peaks this weekend was found Monday afternoon by DEC forest rangers.

DEC spokesman David Winchell said an emergency dispatcher took a phone call around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday reporting 25 year-old David Robertson of Fairfax, Va. was lost. Robertson was part of a group of five hikers who set out Saturday to climb Mt. Marcy, the state's highest peak.

The five reportedly started hiking up the Van Hoevenburg trail from Adirondack Loj, outside Lake Placid, on Saturday morning.

Winchell says they planned to summit Marcy, hike down the opposite side of the mountain and spend the night at the Feldspar lean-to.

But Robertson reportedly hiked a significant distance ahead of the others in the group. At some point, two members of the party decided to head back to Adirondack Loj while the other two continued up the trail to Marcy, hoping to catch up with Robertson.

They reached the junction with the Phelps Trail, about half a mile below the summit, and encountered another group of hikers coming down Mt. Marcy who said they had seen Robertson at the summit. Due to poor weather conditions they decided not to continue up the mountain and instead took the Phelps Trail down to Slant Rock lean-to where they spent the night.

On Sunday morning, Winchell says, Robertson's friends hiked out to Johns Brook Lodge and took a taxi back to Adirondack Loj, where they expected to meet up with Robertson. But he wasn't there and none of the other members of the party had seen him.

Six forest rangers began searching various possible routes that Robertson could have taken, looking for tracks and interviewing other hikers. A DEC caretaker hiked into Feldspar lean-to and the search continued until 10:00 p.m. Sunday night.

Winchell said searchers were concerned because Robertson was poorly equipped for winter hiking and had no compass, map, tent or stove. His sleeping bag was of "marginal value."

The effort continued again Monday morning involving a dozen forest rangers.

Just before 2:00 p.m. rangers located Robertson on the trail between Lake Arnold and Felspar lean-to. Winchell said he was in fair condition - cold and tired but able to walk on his own.

Robertson was escorted to the DEC Outpost on Lake Colden by 7:30 p.m. last night. He spent the night at the outpost where he was treated for frostbite. This morning he was flown out by State Police helicopter to AMC Lake Placid where he was further evaluated and treated.

Forest rangers reported as much as three feet of snow in the higher elevations below Mt. Marcy's windswept summit.