Alaska Army, Air Guard team rescues overdue hikers at Crow Pass

Alaska Army National Guard’s G Company, 2nd Battalion, 211th General Support Aviation Battalion and Alaska Air National Guard’s 212th Rescue Squadron teamed up to rescue two lost hikers at Crow Pass, Aug. 9.

The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center received a mission support request from the Alaska State Troopers concerning hikers in Crow Pass that did not return when planned. According to the AKRCC, the hikers were wet, but were in stable condition with no injuries.

The hikers were carrying a Garmin GPS device, but dropped it along their route. After seeing their grid coordinates stay in the same location for two days, their mother called the Alaska State Troopers, who then contacted the AKRCC.

Capt. Seth Peterson, a controller at the AKRCC, said two UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter crews received the mission and took off from Bryant Army Airfield to Elmendorf Air Field to pick up the pararescuemen while enroute to Crow Pass.

After approximately 40 minutes of searching, the joint rescue teams located and made contact with the two hikers and transported them to Girdwood Airport for transfer to the Girdwood Fire Department.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Miller, a UH-60M pilot assigned to the mission, said the hikers came well prepared for their hike but were running low on supplies. He also said they were easy to spot.

“They wore bright clothes and their gear was easy to see from the air,” said Miller. “This was able to help us find them a lot quicker.”

For this rescue mission, the AKRCC, 207th AVN, and 212th RQS received credit for two saves.