OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — A kayaker was rescued Saturday from a steep canyon on the Elwha River after his friends called 9-1-1 from a cellular phone, park officials said.
A Coast Guard helicopter flew Robert Feller Jr., 26, of Port Angeles, from Rica Canyon about 3 p.m. and flew him to Olympic Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for a hip injury, park spokeswoman Barb Maynes said.
He was listed in stable condition Saturday night, said Pattijo Hoskins, nursing supervisor.
Feller and three friends were kayaking along a “very, very advanced whitewater” stretch of the river at about 11 a.m. when Feller’s kayak got turned around and went backward over a drop, Maynes said.
“Apparently, he became lodged against a rock wall underwater,” Maynes said.