Hiker injured in fall rescued near South Sister

A Portland hiker who fell on a trail near South Sister was rescued Sunday afternoon by Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteers and flown to St. Charles Bend with non-life-threatening injuries, a deputy said.

Around 1 p.m., 911 dispatchers got a cal reporting that the hiker, Keith Doherty, 64, had fallen walking on a trail near Lewis Glacier, suffering an injury that prevented him from continuing down the trail without help from SAR, said sheriff’s Deputy Aaron Myers, assistant SAR coordinator.

Four SAR volunteers were flown by Air Link helicopter to the 10,358-foot summit of South Sister and walked about a half-mile down the scree-covered slope to evaluate Doherty, Myers said.

Another four SAR volunteers hiked in from Devil’s Lake Trailhead to the injured hiker, who was helped into a wheeled litter.

Assisted by several hikers on the trail, the volunteers took Doherty on the wheeled litter about 1 1/2 miles to a spot where Air Link could safely land, Myers said. The hiker was flown to St. Charles Bend for further evaluation. A nursing supervisor said he was treated and released.