Operations_SAR_Short_haul_Caribou_pit_6_1_13A hiker who was severely injured when he was struck by a large falling rock on the Hunt Trail had to be airlifted off Mount Katahdin on Monday.

According to the Portland Press Herald, the injured hiker, 62-year-old Ned Hamara, seemed to be in rough shape by the time a ranger arrived on the Hunt Trail. The dramatic rescue, done by the Maine Forest Service using a helicopter, involved strapping the victim to a tethered harness – the tether stretched for about 100 feet below the helicopter – and flying about six miles with victim in tow to a landing site at Caribou Pit in Baxter State Park. (READ MORE)