Injured Gorge hiker rescued, three days after falling down 50-foot cliff
CASCADE LOCKS, Ore. (AP) — A Coast Guard helicopter crew has rescued a seriously injured hiker, three days after he fell down a 50-foot cliff in the Columbia River Gorge, authorities said Saturday.
The Coast Guard and the Hood River County Sheriff's Office say they brought the 43-year-old to safety on Friday night after he was discovered by two other hikers at the base of the cliff, about a mile from the start of the Gorton Creek Trail.
They said he was conscious but injured, disoriented and possibly hypothermic, and authorities said he likely would not have survived another night. He was flown to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland and was reported to be in stable condition.