Guard helicopter rescues Crooked River Ranch hiker

An Oregon Army National Guard helicopter called in from Salem helped rescue a Crooked River Ranch man who had hiked down the canyon with a fishing partner Sunday but later experienced leg problems and could not hike out, authorities said.

Resident Tom Robbins had hiked down to the Crooked River Sunday morning with a fishing partner from the end of Southwest Trout Road, Sheriff Jim Adkins said.

He started experiencing leg problems around 2 p.m., possibly due to dehydration, and could not hike out, so he and his fishing partner called for help, Adkins said.

Crooked River Ranch Fire and Rescue responded to the end of Trout Road, along with sheriff’s deputies who located Robbins from the cliffs above and tried to hike down to him, without success.

High-angle rope rescue personnel with CRR Fire rappelled down to Robbins and administered first aid. They also assisted the Army National Guard crew, who had been called in due to the man’s inability to hike out of the canyon.

The mission was completed successfully around 7:15 p.m., and Robbins was flown to St. Charles Redmond for treatment. “He only had a couple minor scrapes from his hike, and he told my deputy he had only drank a couple small bottles of water,” Adkins said in a Facebook post.

After the department’s second rescue in recent days, the sheriff reminded to “be cautious in this heat and drink plenty of water. Becoming a victim in these remote areas puts many rescuers in danger.”

Adkins thanked the Army National Guard for its quick response and Crooked River Ranch personnel and sheriff’s deputies for assisting in the rescue operation.