Local Rescuers Retrieve Stranded Hiker

Monday, March 09 2015


The hiker called for help from Mt. Coxcomb around 9:30 Friday night.

Emergency personnel rescued a hiker and her dog from a precarious peak in Unalaska this weekend.

Fire chief Zac Schasteen says a woman in her late twenties called for help after she became stuck on Mt. Coxcomb on Friday night.

The terrain was rough on the mountain, which overlooks Summer Bay. Schasteen says the woman wasn’t dressed for ice and snow -- and was only carrying water when she first set out from Memorial Park with her dog.

Two police officers and a volunteer firefighter began hiking out to the peak. The Coast Guard was also contacted for assistance, but Schasteen says a helicopter wasn't immediately available. One aircraft had been called to conduct a medevac from a freighter southeast of Unalaska, while another was grounded due to mechanical problems.

Rescuers reached the woman and her dog and helped them descend into Summer Bay around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday. There were no injuries.

This is the second time in a month that a hiker’s gotten lost in the hills around Unalaska. Jess Acker, a 33-year-old fisheries observer, went missing in early February. A search party recovered her body from Pyramid Valley two days later.

Schasteen says hikers should always leave a trip plan with family or friends before they head outdoors.



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