Thursday, Aug 30, 2007
On Wednesday, August 22nd, Zack McCutcheon, 20, of Berkeley, California, was rescued from a small rock ledge on a steep slope on the north side of the Alaska Range with assistance of military personnel from Anchorage. The crew of an Air Force HH-60 Pavehawk helicopter was able to hoist McCutcheon into the helicopter around 8 a.m. and fly him to the park airstrip, where he was evaluated by park medics and found to be in relatively good condition. McCutcheon had become stranded the previous morning when he and his hiking partner, Chris Scruggs, attempted to cross a steep and extremely rugged ridge dividing the headwaters of the East Fork and Teklinika Rivers on the third day of a planned five-day backpacking trip. McCutcheon fell a short distance, and, though uninjured, was unable to move from his position approximately a thousand feet above the glacier in the valley below. It took Scruggs eight hours to hike the 15 miles to the park road, where he flagged down a park shuttle bus. The initial report was received in the park around 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. Personnel in the park's fire program helicopter and fixed-wing Husky aircraft were able to locate McCutcheon relatively quickly. The helicopter landed on a small saddle above McCutcheon's location and ranger Michael O'Connor was able to make his way down to within 150 feet of McCutcheon, determining that he was suffering from only mild hypothermia. Due to deteriorating weather and impending darkness, both aircraft had to depart the area, but O'Connor stayed at the scene overnight to monitor McCutcheon. Because of concerns about forecasted precipitation and below-freezing temperatures, the park contacted the Rescue Coordination Center and requested military assistance. Personnel from the 210th, 211th and 212th Air Force Rescue Squadrons responded in an HH-60 Pavehawk helicopter and an HC-130 rescue tanker, both with night vision capability, arriving at the park between 11 p.m. and midnight on Tuesday. In spite of multiple attempts, they were unable to overcome weather conditions. After being on station for over three hours, they were forced to return to their base. The second combined rescue attempt was launched at daybreak on Wednesday.
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