Hiker rescued near Olympic National Park after crawling 8 hours for cell service

PORT ANGELES, Wash. (AP) – An injured hiker in Washington state was airlifted to safety over the weekend after crawling through the forest for eight hours to get cellphone service, a TV station reported Sunday.

The hiker was rescued near Olympic National Park around 4 a.m. on Saturday after he fractured his ankle while hiking on a trail near Hood Canal, Washington, KOIN-TV reported. A team from Jefferson County search and rescue reached the 26-year-old man on foot and then the U.S. Coast Guard was able to hoist him from the trail with a helicopter that took off from Port Angeles, Washington.

The hiker is being treated at a Seattle hospital and is in stable condition.

Authorities didn’t say how the man broke his ankle or have any other details about his ordeal.

“We like to train for high-altitude rescues because of the mountainous region we operate in,” Lt. Commander Sam Hill said in a release. “Because of that training, we were able to overcome numerous environmental challenges to rescue the hiker from a dangerous situation.