Coast Guard rescues blind hiker, guide dog lost on Oregon trail for days

A blind hiker and his guide dog are safe after being rescued by a US Coast Guard helicopter crew when they became stranded for days in the heat on an Oregon hiking trail.

The US Coast Guard Pacific Northwest announced an aircrew had rescued a 55-year-old man and his dog from the Rogue River Trail in southwest Oregon.

The hiker, who officials said is legally blind, began hiking the trail with a friend and his guide dog July 3 and began to show symptoms of heat exhaustion July 6.

Officials said that, due to lack of cellphone service, the friend left the unidentified man and his dog with food and water and headed toward Gold Beach to call 911.

However, due to the remote location, rescue crews were not able to send help until Monday, when the friend arrived.

In the early morning hours of Monday, a Bureau of Land Management ranger and two deputies from the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office hiked 6 miles to help the hiker.

By 9 a.m. local time, the man and his dog were located.

Due to the remote location, officials said an extraction plan was needed from the Coast Guard helicopter crew. 

Officials said the hiker could not walk, and the terrain was too rough for a wheeled carrier, so a rescue swimmer and basket were dropped from the helicopter. 

The hiker and his dog were then hoisted by the crew and were safely taken to EMS at Grants Pass Airport.

The sheriff’s office added that even though the hiker was experienced, the extreme heat got to him.

Commander Jay Kircher, the pilot in command of the rescue, told Fox News Digital it’s important to note the hiker and his friend did everything right while waiting for aid.

“I think, importantly, he did the exact correct thing, which was to stay put and to stick with the plan that he came up with with his friend. If he had tried to walk out, you know, a day or so later, after his friend left, we may not have found him,” Kircher said.

Kircher also shared a lighthearted moment from the rescue when they pulled the hiker and his dog to safety. 

“When the basket came up to the cabin, our flight mechanic, Tim, swung the basket over toward me, and I saw this dog’s head sticking out of it. And it was just kind of perking up a little bit,” Kircher said. “I’m not used to seeing animals coming up when we do our hoist operations.”