An Arizona Department of Public Safety (ADPS) helicopter rescued a 58-year-old Tucson man near the Arizona Trail, approximately 12 miles west of Payson, on Tuesday, June 2, 2015, during the early morning.
The man had gotten lost and also ran out of food and water about three days earlier. The details are still unclear since the man was in serious to critical condition when a DPS paramedic located him.
The man was on a planned 10-day hike by himself that actually began 11 days earlier near Roosevelt Lake. The man had been texting with his wife during the previous morning and notified her of his situation. His wife did not hear from him after that and called 911.
According to DPS Aviation Commander, Terry Miyachi, his crew and helicopter, Ranger 42, took off from the Northern Air Rescue hangar in Flagstaff at 5:00 a.m. to begin searching for the man. Miyauchi said, “45 minutes into the search for the hiker they [Pilot and Paramedic Crew] observed a backpack and sleeping bag strewn about the ground before locating the man in a prone position with one of his hands in the air; the man was unable to even turn his head to look at our helicopter.”
“The man was approximately one tenth of a mile off of the Arizona Trail and about 800’ down into a canyon,” said DPS Paramedic Chris Hecht. “It appeared that the patient was crawling up from the bottom of the canyon where he may have been looking for water since the vegetation was very green compared to the area of the trail.” Hecht also said, “if the patient had been further down that canyon, we may not have found him in time.”
Due to the rugged terrain and helicopter performance considerations, the pilot chose to land elsewhere, approximately 15 minutes away from the man. Pilot Lowell Neshem and Paramedic Hecht hiked to the man with rescue gear.
Once the crew assessed the situation, they called for another Ranger [58] crew out of Central Air Rescue in Phoenix, in order to perform a short haul mission. Ranger 58 Pilot Ken Twigg and Paramedic Dan Millon arrived with additional medic and rescue gear. Two paramedics are needed for short haul missions; one as a spotter from the aircraft and another attached to and hanging from the cable with the patient, 150’ below the helicopter.
The man was turned over to PMT Ambulance once on the ground and they transported the man to a Payson hospital. The man had endured 100+ degree days throughout the ordeal; three to four of them without food and water.
The man’s wife’s call to 911 is what prompted GCSO to begin the Search and Rescue mission. GCSO contacted Search and Rescue volunteers and then asked for the Arizona Department of Public Safety to assist.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety reminds everyone:
• Never hike alone
• Always tell someone where you will be
• Take plenty of food and water
• Carry a communications device