Injured hiker flown off Deer Mountain in Ketchikan

An injured hiker was flown off Deer Mountain on Saturday, Alaska State Troopers said. The 26-year-old, unable to walk, was taken to PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center.

The Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad called troopers at about 10:11 a.m. to report the hiker was past the summit, according to the dispatch. The squad responded by helicopter and flew the patient off the mountain without incident. The dispatch does not describe the injury or identify the hiker.

The trail has drawn rescuers before. Alaska News covered the June search for Heath Didier, 49, of Portland, who called troopers June 14 to report he was lost on the Deer Mountain Trail without food, water or proper gear. Searchers found an adult male believed to be Didier dead at the base of a cliff the next day. Recovery was delayed to June 16 over site safety concerns. In 2017, a Coast Guard helicopter, troopers and the rescue squad brought two overdue hikers off the same mountain.

The squad describes itself as an all-volunteer organization that is "self dispatched and works closely with the Alaska State Troopers, USCG, and the USFS."