BRINNON — A 26-year-old man who broke his ankle while hiking on the Duckabush Trail west of Hood Canal crawled for eight hours to find an area with cellphone coverage so he could call for help, the Coast Guard said.
A Port Angeles Coast Guard helicopter crew medically evacuated the injured hiker today after a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team located the man at 4 a.m., rendered first aid and prepared him for medevac.
A Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew launched at first light and arrived at the scene at 7 a.m.
The aircrew hoisted the man — who is unidentified — and took him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was reported to be in stable condition today.
“We like to train for high-altitude rescues because of the mountainous region we operate in,” said Lt. Cmdr. Sam Hill, MH-65 pilot stationed in Port Angeles.
“Because of that training, we were able to overcome numerous environmental challenges to rescue the hiker from a dangerous situation.
“We thank Jefferson County Search and Rescue for their help locating the hiker and assisting with the hoist.”
