KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee National Guardsmen rescued a hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Tuesday who became severely ill while on the Appalachian Trail.
The Tennessee Department of Military and Tennessee Department of Emergency Management were notified around 7 a.m. Tuesday about a hiker suffering severe illness on the Appalachian Trail near Double Spring Gap Shelter just west of Clingmans Dome.
The hiker was reportedly weak and unable to stand or walk, so the National Guard prepared an emergency rescue mission.
The TN National Guard said a crew with Detachment 1, Company C of the 1-171st Aviation Regiment based out of Joint Base McGhee Tyson readied a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and took off 30 minutes after being notified.
The flight crew included pilot in command Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Backus, pilot Capt. Philip Webster, crew chief Sgt. Chris Farrar, and flight paramedics Sgt. 1st Class Cassandra Antes and Sgt. 1st Class Giovanni DeZuani.
The flight crew was able to locate the hiker near Double Spring Gap Shelter just before 9 a.m. DeZuani was lowered down a rescue hoist to assess the hiker before both the paramedic and patient were hoisted up onto the helicopter.
The paramedics provided aid to the hiker before arriving at the University of Tennessee Medical Center around 9:22 a.m.
The National Guard said the entire mission took less than an hour and a half.