A National Guard flight crew recently rescued an injured hiker trapped on the side of a steep slope in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Recreation Area.
The Sawtooth National Recreation Area is home to 750,000 acres of mountainous terrain and 700 miles of trails according to the U.S. Forest Service. The Idaho National Guard has rescued three hikers in the park just in July.
During this rescue, a flight crew on a UH-72 Lakota assisted the Elmore County Sheriff's Department and the Boise Fire Department with the rescue. Col. Granger Amthor, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jason Hopkins and Staff Sgt. Kole Newberry was the team member who helped identify where the hiker was located and then lowered Boise Fire Department Captain Bart Carrico down to the ground.
From there, Carrico began preparing the patient for transport. Carrico and the hiker were then hoisted into the Lakota helicopter for transportation to medical facilities.
During the other two rescues in July, the National Guard made use of the more powerful UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, which was needed due to the poor weather conditions present and the high altitudes involved in the rescue.
Both the UH-60 and the UH-72 crews belong to the Idaho Army National Guard's State Aviation Group.
