Rescue team parachutes to remote Alaska river, rafts across to reach hunters
Source: Task & Purpose
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When a group of civilian hunters found themselves trapped by a rising river above the Arctic Circle this month, an Alaska Air National Guard team had to use just about every backcountry rescue trick in the book to get them out.
In a span of a day-long rescue that extended into night, the Anchorage-based 176th Wing flew an HC-130 to the most remote corner of the state, where a team of pararescuemen, or PJs, parachuted near the missing hunters, according to a release from the Guard. There, the PJs rigged a rope system across a rising river, then ferried the group of stuck hunters to safety on a raft the HC-130 crew dropped under its own parachute.
Once on dry ground, the team even started a campfire to get the group warm before a civilian helicopter arrived.
Rescue personnel from the 212th Rescue Squadron prepare to free-fall parachute from a 211th RQS HC-130J Combat King II aircraft over the Lower Susitna Valley near Anchorage, Alaska, Feb. 7, 2023. Alaska National Guard photo by Dana Rosso.
The rescue began, as most do in the age of satellite phones, with a call for help to the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. On the other end of the line was a group of hunters on the Kukpowruk River, one of the most remote and inaccessible spots in the state.
The Kukpowruk is one of the rare rivers on Earth that flows entirely above the Arctic Circle. It runs on the northern side of the state’s farthest-north mountains, and its mouth flows into the Arctic Ocean roughly 120 miles from the nearest town.
In Lower 48 math, the rescue was roughly equivalent to first responders in New York City responding to an emergency in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Using coordinates provided through the hunters’ two-way satellite communication device, the HC-130 crew reached the search area, visually identified the hunters’ tent and spotted their flashlight,” the Guard’s release said. “With a low cloud ceiling limiting operations in the area, 212th RQS PJs conducted a low-altitude jump with a pack raft to reach the stranded hunters.”
Packrafts are single-person, inflatable kayaks that are a common backcountry tool in Alaska. Deflated, the boats can easily be carried in a small backpack.
The HC-130 crew also airdropped an additional raft and survival equipment near the site. On the ground, the PJs — who frequently train for both swiftwater and high-angle rope rescues — rigged a line that they used to ferry the hunters across the river.
“The PJs then started a fire to help warm the hunters while they waited for extraction,” the release said.
Air Force PJs used a similar rigging of an overhead line to transport rescuers, supplies, and, eventually, 13 boys trapped hundreds of feet up a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018.
A civilian helicopter from Utqiagvik — Alaska’s farthest-north town, formerly known as Barrow — eventually arrived to put up the PJs and the hunters, where the HC-130 was able to land.
The post Rescue team parachutes to remote Alaska river, rafts across to reach hunters appeared first on Task & Purpose.
Classification
Region
North America
Analytical Domain
Tactical
Primary Category
Military Operations
Subcategory
Special Operations
SALUTE Report
Size
A team of pararescuemen (PJs) from the Alaska Air National Guard
Activity
Conducted a rescue operation for trapped civilian hunters
Location
Kukpowruk River · Alaska · United States
Unit
176th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard
Time
February 2023
Equipment
HC-130pack raftssurvival equipment
Summary
The Alaska Air National Guard's 176th Wing conducted a rescue operation in February 2023 for civilian hunters trapped by a rising river on the Kukpowruk River in Alaska. Pararescuemen parachuted into the area, rigged a rope system, and used rafts to ferry the hunters to safety. A civilian helicopter later arrived to extract the group.
Key Facts
- Civilian hunters were trapped by a rising river above the Arctic Circle.
- The Alaska Air National Guard's 176th Wing conducted the rescue using an HC-130 aircraft.
- Pararescuemen parachuted to the location and rigged a rope system to ferry the hunters across the river.
- A civilian helicopter later arrived to extract the hunters and rescuers.