TENNESSEE, USA — A Tennessee National Guard medical flight crew rescued a hiker on the Appalachian Trail Tuesday after he became hypothermic.
Officials said the Tennessee Military Department and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency were notified shortly after 9:30 a.m. Tuesday that a hiker was stranded. His location was near Gregory Bald in the Great Smoky Mountain National park.
The hiker was suffering from hypothermic conditions after becoming disoriented and getting lost due to heavy snowfall authorities said.
Once the Tennessee National Guard was alerted, they began preparing for an emergency rescue mission.
The flight crew managed to locate the hiker just after 10:30 a.m. officials said. Once the patient was on board, the crew rendered aid as the aircraft flew to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.
Officials said the entire rescue mission took less than an hour and a half.