JULY 22, 2026 – The Idaho Army National Guard’s State Aviation Group, working with the Boise Fire Department, hoisted an injured hiker off a remote stretch of Mount Idaho July 18.
The mission was the Idaho Army National Guard’s sixth successful rescue in 2026 and its second in July.
The rescue, which occurred on Idaho’s seventh-highest mountain near Mackay, was the state’s highest hoist search and rescue mission and involved multiple agencies, including the Custer County Sheriff’s Office, Custer County Search and Rescue and Air St. Luke’s.
“We are once again impressed by the skill and bravery of the Idaho National Guard and Air St. Luke’s performing a rescue in spontaneous inclement weather conditions over the Lost River Range,” said Lincoln Zollinger, Custer County Search and Rescue coordinator.
The hiker had fallen roughly 300 feet in the rugged Lost River Range and sustained a head injury.
The Idaho Army National Guard was requested because of the difficult terrain, the high elevation and the UH-60 Black Hawk’s hoist capabilities. The UH-60 Black Hawk’s large engines allow it to operate at high elevation, and it is outfitted with the state’s only hoist capabilities.
“Our pilots and crew members train year-round for complex missions, integrating our community partners to perform technical and difficult search and rescue missions when our fellow citizens need us the most,” said Col. Jim Mandel, Idaho Army National Guard state aviation officer. “I couldn’t be prouder of this crew and the rest of the team with their successful rescue on Saturday.”
The flight crew consisted of pilots Chief Warrant Officer 4 Kevyn Sears and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Theron Cameron; crew chief Staff Sgt. Brad Stock and hoist operator Officer Candidate Jess Adamson. During the rescue, Adamson hoisted Boise Fire Department Cpt. Ryan Yates to the patient. The crew then hoisted the hiker into the aircraft and transported him to the base of the mountain, where he was flown by Air St. Luke’s to Idaho Falls for further medical treatment.
The Idaho Army National Guard and the Boise Fire Department have trained together several times a year since 2018, and the agencies signed a memorandum of understanding formalizing their partnership earlier this summer.
“We work really well together as a team,” Boise Fire Department Captain Mike Barbero said. “Each agency complements each other very well, and both agencies trust each other a lot because we’ve worked together.”
The partnership combines the Idaho Army National Guard’s aviation and hoist capabilities with the Boise Fire Department’s specialized technical rescue and advanced life support expertise, enabling each agency to leverage its strengths and form a highly capable aerial rescue team.
Barbero estimates the partnership has saved about eight lives throughout the years.
In 2017, the agencies worked together to rescue a 68-year-old man in Weiser after floodwaters stranded him in his house. The partnership quickly grew after that mission.
By Maj. Robert Taylor
Idaho National Guard