Harbor Mountain is an alpine area accessible by road, which aided Sitka Mountain Rescue in reaching the hiking party more quickly. (Courtesy of Sitka Trail Works)
The Sitka Fire Department search and rescue team, on Saturday, aided a 13-year-old boy who became stuck after sliding down a steep, snowy slope on Harbor Mountain.
Fire chief Dave Miller said the three teenage boys were near the Gavan Hill shelter cabin on Saturday afternoon, when the one juvenile fell.
“Somewhere between 200 or 300 feet or so,” Miller said of the distance the boy fell. “Maybe a little more. It was steep enough that he couldn’t get back up.”
Miller said one of the boys called 911 on a cell phone to report a member of their party had fallen around 5 p.m. and Search and Rescue assembled a team to respond.
Miller said the rescue didn’t require rappelling, but it did require ropes. “They threw a rope over and went down and brought the young man up,” he said.
They hiked the boy to safety just before 11 p.m. Miller says the three made the right decision to call quickly.
“Those kids were very smart. Once they figured out they had a problem, they called us right away,” he said. “They didn’t try to deal with the problem themselves.”
Miller says 25 people aided in the response, including the ropes team and responders handling logistics on the ground.
