A Search and Rescue team from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island conducted an early morning rescue for a sick hiker in the Olympic National Park early July 14.

Rangers from the Olympic National Park attempted to reach the man the night prior but were unsuccessful due to inclement weather.

The SAR crew was able to reach the hiker around 6:20 a.m. and transported him to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles.

The day prior, NAS Whidbey’s SAR team rescued a 22-year-old hiker who suffered significant injuries from a fall near Mt. Stuart at an altitude of approximately 5,000 ft.

Once the SAR crew safely extricated the injured man, they flew him to Pangborn airport for transport by ambulance to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee, according to a press release.

The SAR crew’s medical technician and inland rescue crew accompanied the injured man to the hospital while the rest of the crew refueled the helicopter.

Two days prior to the rescue near Mt. Stuart, another SAR crew rescued a 62-year-old man who injured his ankle on the Pacific Crest Trail. After retrieving the man at an altitude over 6,900 ft., they transported him to an ambulance at Omak.

NAS Whidbey Island SAR has conducted 28 total missions throughout Washington State this year, including 17 rescues, three searches and eight medical evacuations this year.