On Saturday afternoon, May 2, a flight crew with the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion assisted multiple emergency and law enforcement agencies in the rescue a lost hiker and his dog who were stranded at Sampson Mountain Wilderness in the Cherokee National Forest.
Shortly after 1:30pm the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and the Tennessee National Guard were notified that the hiker, who had been lost for nearly 24 hours, was found by rescue personnel trapped in a ravine. The man was hypothermic having spent the night in the ravine wearing only shorts and a t-shirt with temperatures dropping into the 40s. It was determined unsafe for him and his dog to climb out of the area, even with the assistance of the rescue personnel.
Tennessee National Guardsmen assigned to Task Force Smokey assembled a five-person flight crew and readied a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter for flight. The air crew consisted of two pilots, Capt. Andrew Rines and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andres Salas, two crew chiefs, Staff Sgt. Matthew Belcher and Sgt. Christopher Burke, and the flight paramedic, Sgt. 1st Class John Sharbel. As soon as the mission was approved, the aircraft departed Joint Base McGhee-Tyson at approximately 2:50 p.m., flying directly to the rescue site.
The aircraft determined the best position to begin hoisting, finding an ample opening through the trees. Belcher then lowered Sharbel to the ground for a medical assessment and to prepare the hiker for transport.
Sharbel rendered immediate first aid to the hiker and his German Shepherd, Jack. He then prepared everyone to be hoisted into the hovering helicopter, including the German Shepherd (Sharbel had made a jerry rigged harness using webbing from the aircraft).
The hiker and three rescue personnel were hoisted over 150 feet into the Black Hawk helicopter. Sharbel was then hoisted into the aircraft while holding the dog. Once everyone was safely on board, they continued first aid. The aircraft flew to a waiting ambulance staged where the Nolichuckey Fire Department had established rescue operations. Once the hiker and his dog were offloaded, the pair were evaluated by paramedics from Greene County Emergency Medical Services, who determined they were in stable condition.
Hats off to everyone involved in this operation. Amazing work!
