TOAccording to a release from the Tennessee National Guard, a flight crew successfully rescued a hiker suffering from serious injuries caused by cold weather on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at the Double Springs Gap Shelter in a remote section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Photo via Tennessee National Guard
Emergency notification and mobilization
The rescue sequence began shortly before 8:30 a.m. EST, when the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and National Guard were alerted to an injured hiker requiring rapid medical transport. The hiker, located at the Double Springs Gap Shelter near the North Carolina border, successfully initiated the rescue by sending an emergency SOS via a Garmin inReach satellite communicator.
Once the mission was approved, Tennessee National Guard members assigned to Task Force Smokey prepared a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter at Joint Base McGhee-Tyson. The plane took off at approximately 9:30 a.m. and park service rangers provided the exact coordinates of the rescue location.
The Blackhawk arrived at the shelter at approximately 9:45 am. Due to the remote terrain, Sgt. Burke lowered paramedic Nolan Ogle to the ground via lift at approximately 9:55 am. After a brief medical evaluation and assistance at the scene, both the hiker and Ogle were lifted to the helicopter.
Photo via Tennessee National Guard
Transportation to medical care
First aid continued during the flight to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. The plane landed at the hospital at 10:25 a.m., where the patient was rushed to the emergency room for treatment. Following the successful delivery of the patient, the flight crew returned to base in Louisville and landed just before 11:00 a.m.
The use of a satellite communicator proved vital in this mission, allowing rangers to maintain contact with the hiker and coordinate a precise aerial extraction from one of the park’s most remote shelters qaz4.
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