Alaska Air National Guardsmen medevaced a Texas man off a mountain near Whittier early Monday after he got lost on the Portage Trail Sunday, prompting an overnight search-and-rescue effort. According to a Monday AST dispatch, Whittier police informed troopers at about 6:40 p.m. that 39-year-old Scott Hueske was stuck on Mount Maynard and requesting rescue. The Arlington, Texas man had been wearing a sweater and pants, but wasn’t carrying any further survival gear. “(Hueske) had hiked several miles off the trail towards the summit of the mountain and was wet, cold, and exhausted,” troopers wrote. “He reported he could not walk any further due to an injured leg.” Four searchers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group were sent to find Hueske, while the 11th Air Force’s Rescue Coordination Center was called at about 9:40 p.m. to request support. An HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter and an HC-130 search plane both left Anchorage’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. “Hueske was located (shortly after 8:30 a.m. Monday) and transported to (Providence Alaska Medical Center) in Anchorage with potentially life-threatening injuries,” troopers wrote. AST spokesperson Megan Peters says in an email to Channel 2 that troopers don’t yet have full details on what happened, since Hueske was being treated after he was rescued. “We were not able to interview him due to his condition,” Peters wrote. “His leg injury occurred prior to calling for help. His life-threatening injuries were cold weather/exposure related.” In an Alaska ANG statement, responders say the incident illuminates the value of being properly outfitted for excursions. “Backcountry enthusiasts should always travel with a survival kit and be prepared to stay overnight, even if that isn’t their plan,” Maj. Keenan Zerkel, a senior controller at the RCC, said in the statement. According to Providence staff, Hueske is in fair condition as of Monday afternoon.
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