Man rescued from South Sister

Rescuers airlifted a hiker from the summit of South Sister on Thursday, after the man was found unconscious by other hikers.

According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, at about 2 p.m. on Thursday, Deschutes County 911 received a phone call requesting immediate medical assistance for a hiker who had been found unconscious near the summit of South Sister.

The caller advised that her group had located a solo male hiker a short distance below the summit unconscious. The hiker was possibly suffering from some kind of altitude related problem.

Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue dispatched two mountain rescue medical personnel to the location of the victim. These personnel were transported to the summit by AirLink. With the assistance of the hikers on the summit and Search and Rescue and AirLink the victim, identified as Duncan Maring, 34, of Pendleton, was loaded into the helicopter and transported to St. Charles in Bend with non-life-threatening injuries.

In addition to the two Search and Rescue members that were flown to the location, an additional 16 Search and Rescue personnel and Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Deputies were dispatched to begin a summit of South Sister via the climbers trail in the event that the helicopter crew could not complete their mission.

Air support from the Oregon Air National Guard from Salem was being dispatched at the time that the hiker was rescued by AirLink.