Deschutes County Search and Rescue, AirLink come to aid of South Sister hiker

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A hiker from Portland who experienced a medical issue near the 10,358-foot summit of South Sister on Sunday afternoon was helped down the peak by Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteers and an AirLink helicopter, deputies said.

Deschutes County 911 dispatch got a call around 4 p.m. Sunday from a hiker near the top of the peak who said a 25-year-old Portland woman in their group had a medical issue that prevented her from hiking further down the mountain without assistance from SAR, said Deputy Aaron Myers, assistant SAR coordinator.

Dispatchers were able to obtain GPS coordinates of the group’s location and pass them on to Search and Rescue.

Due to the nature of the reported medical condition, AirLink was contacted and agreed to assist by bringing two SAR volunteers to a landing zone near the woman’s location, where they arrived about 6 p.m., Myers said. They hiked about a half-mile to the woman to begin medical assessment and treatment, reaching her location around 6:40 p.m.

Ten other SAR volunteers drove to the Devils Lake Trailhead and began hiking up to the woman’s location, Myers said. They helped the woman about a mile down the trail in a litter to another landing zone, where AirLink had landed, arriving around 9 p.m. She was then taken by the air ambulance to St. Charles Bend.

Meyers said the sheriff’s office would like to thank AirLink for their assistance in the mission.