Rain, wind, and clouds made conditions difficult for rescuers on Katahdin in Maine Friday as they attempted to rescue four hikers who became stranded on Knife Edge Thursday night.
According to Baxter State Park officials, the four hikers from two different hiking parties became stranded on Knife Edge the evening of Thursday, July 24. One of the hikers had sustained an unstable knee injury. The other three were uninjured.
Forest rangers reached the hikers Friday morning and provided them with food, hot liquids, and dry clothes.
Efforts to rescue the hiker using a helicopter were hampered due to cloudy conditions. A helicopter crew made several rescue attempts, but struggling with the clouds, had to leave to refuel.
The injured hiker was eventually airlifted by a Maine Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter crew that took her to a nearby airport, where she was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
The three uninjured hikers were escorted down the mountain by rescuers.
In June, Katahdin was the scene of a tragic incident as a father and daughter died while climbing Maine’s highest peak.
