This is a developing story, and it will be updated as more is known.
Rescuers helped a stranded hiker make his way down from Mount Roberts Friday evening after the man spent a day stuck on the mountain.
Jackie Ebert with Juneau Mountain Rescue said sometime around 5 p.m. JMR team members helped the man, who Alaska State Troopers identified as 26-year-old Andrew Tse of New York, leave the difficult-to-navigate area where he was stranded after slipping and falling off the trail that leads from Goldbelt Mount Roberts Tramway to Gastineau Peak.
“They provided support to help him physically walk from the location he was at up to the ridge,” Ebert said in a Saturday morning phone interview.
Mount Roberts from the base of the Mount Roberts Tramway on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Tse was located in the area of Snowslide Creek west of Gastineau Peak at an elevation of about 2,700 feet, according to Alaska State Troopers, and Tse was not dressed for conditions or carrying survival equipment.
The hiker and rescuers made their way to the tram where Sitka Mountain Rescue members, who were assisting with the rescue, guided the man toward Capital City Fire/Rescue emergency responders who were present at the bottom of the tram, Ebert said. She said almost everyone, including rescuers, were off the mountain by about 7 p.m.
She would not share the condition of the man, and CCFR did not immediately return calls seeking comment. However, Alaska State Troopers Public Information Officer Tim DeSpain said Saturday morning Tse was transported to Bartlett Regional Hospital after reaching CCFR.
Ebert said the tram was a big help during the rescue, which also involved coordination from the Coast Guard, Capital City Fire/Rescue, Alaska State Troopers, Alaska SEADogs, the National Weather Service and the Red Cross.
Ralphenia Knudson, left, and Carolyn Garcia, of the American Red Cross, set up a table at the Mount Roberts Tramway as rescuers gather to find a lost hiker on Mount Roberts on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Ebert said it seems the man became stuck after falling off of the trail that leads from the tram to Gastineau Peak and attempting to hike his way down.
“He just got to a spot where he couldn’t get himself out,” Ebert said.
She said the man called 911 Thursday evening to report he was stranded. However, weather prevented an immediate rescue.
A Sitka-based Coast Guard rescue helicopter attempted to retrieve him off the mountain early Friday morning, but 70 knot (80 mile per hour) gusts above the site aborted the effort. The high winds also prevented a Juneau Mountain Rescue rope rescue until weather abated.
Juneau Mountain Rescue personnel gather at the Mount Roberts Tramway to find a lost person on Mount Roberts on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 523-2271 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
