Photo by Whitehorse Star
Injured hiker rescued from Sapper Hill
An injured Dempster Highway-area hiker required a co-ordinated rescue from multiple emergency personnel last Saturday.
An injured Dempster Highway-area hiker required a co-ordinated rescue from multiple emergency personnel last Saturday.
At approximately 5:51 p.m., Dawson City RCMP were asked to assist in the woman’s rescue from Sapper Hill at kilometre 194 of the Dempster Highway.
The area where the woman was stranded was remote and steep, the RCMP said Tuesday.
It requiring a complicated and joint operation among the RCMP, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Yukon Search and Rescue (YSAR) and a private helicopter.
A Dawson RCMP officer co-ordinated the woman’s rescue.
At 7:47 p.m., a helicopter transported officers, a physician and YSAR to an area of Sapper Hill, and the group took about one hour to hike up to the injured woman.
They assisted her back down to the highway.
Arrangements were made for the group to be transported back to Dawson by police vehicles, as ambulance attendance was hampered by the location.
The woman was transported to the Dawson hospital for treatment of her injuries. Her name was not released.
The RCMP are thanking EMS, YSAR and Fireweed Helicopter for their assistance and swift response.
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Comments (4)
Up 1 Down 0
Johnny Ross on Sep 1, 2020 at 5:19 am
There is a photo of the woman on top of the ridge where she was climbing and it looks like pretty steep rough dangerous terrain (at least the photo part). It doesn't look like her climbing ability and the terrain match up. Poor decision to climb there perhaps. I've made bad decisions before. The trick is to admit your mistake, apologize for putting everyone concerned out and above all learn from it so you won't repeat that mistake.
Is Sapper Hill for amateurs? If not post a warning for others.
As an aside note my grandson and I saw a pure white wolf across the creek at Engineer campground. It was a special moment. We were the only ones in the campground at the time.
Up 6 Down 5
Oya on Aug 28, 2020 at 4:10 pm
@ Wes Are you suggesting Engineer Creek is not remote? Have you considered how far it is from medical help, a gas station, an RCMP station?
It's in the middle of bum-f*** nowhere. That's pretty remote in my books.
The only thing close by is the government camp at the Ogilvie River, but other than a band-aid, you're not going to get much help there, if any. They certainly do not have the equipment to assist a stranded hiker at the top of a mountain. At the campground, I really don't think you can get anything except possibly a piece of wood. Not likely a camper would have equipment to rescue someone on top of the nearby mountain.
So despite being in spitting distance from Sapper Hill, it's still waayyy out there in the middle of nowhere. If you were to break down there one day, you would find out immediately just how remote Sapper Hill, Engineer Creek and the Ogilvie River really are. Now imagine breaking a leg on the top of the mountain (or whatever injury was sustained) and looking down longingly on Engineer Campground in the hopes that a doctor camping with helicopter sees you. Your comment is out of line with reality.
Up 9 Down 4
Wes on Aug 26, 2020 at 1:43 pm
"The area where the woman was stranded was remote and steep.."
Sapper hill is literally right across the creek from the Engineer Creek campground.
Spitting distance.
Up 13 Down 2
Dave on Aug 25, 2020 at 4:48 pm
Sounds eerily similar to when the same thing happened roughly 22 years ago at about km 80 on the Dempster, same groups responded except with a Trans North helicopter.