Story Archive

Hikers Who Can’t Hike

Nancy Allen, 48, and her daughter, 18, were hiking on Mount St. Helens, Wash., when they got lost. Allen called 911 and a search-and-rescue team was dispatched. After spending the night on the mountain, rescuers found the women the next morning. Allen couldn’t walk, so rescuers started carrying her down. Allen, however, requested a helicopter. The rescuers obliged, and a private helicopter soon arrived to carry Allen and her daughter off the mountain, dropping them at a trailhead at the bottom where paramedics were waiting. “I’ve never heard of this happening,” Undersherrif Dave Cox said. “I don’t know how much it cost her, but I’m sure it was a spendy proposition.” The bill for the ride: $1,300. (MS/Portland Oregonian) ...But she does get extra frequent flier miles for upgrading to first class.