Fallen, injured Mt. Jefferson climber rescued

An Oregon National Guard helicopter crew late Saturday night rescued a 64-year-old man hurt in a fall on a glacier high on Mt. Jefferson, Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins said.

Adkins had said earlier the rescue effort would get under way around 5 a.m. Sunday, but he received notice overnight that the helicopter plucked the man from the mountain around 11 p.m. He had no other immediate details.

The man reportedly injured his ribs in a fall at the 9,000-foot level and was unable to get himself off the 10,497-foot mountain, Oregon’s second-tallest peak

Adkins earlier told NewsChannel 21 the climber is on a glacier on the eastern flank of the mountain, near where several counties and the Warm Springs Indian Reservation boundaries meet.

He added that the Portland Mountain Rescue team and a National Guard Blackhawk helicopter were being called in to help rescue the man.

Crews know where the man is, Adkins said, adding that he just needed help descending the mountain.