HELENA – Lewis and Clark County officials say a lost hiker was safe Sunday after a rescue helicopter carried him out of the backcountry west of Augusta.
Capt. Brent Colbert of the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office said the man was hiking and camping in a national forest wilderness area. He contacted authorities Saturday to let them know he had become lost. The man was not injured and had enough supplies to stay out overnight.
Colbert said Lewis and Clark Search and Rescue crews went out Sunday morning to find the man, but were delayed by deep snow. A Two Bear Air Rescue helicopter was then called in. The helicopter and ground crew reached the man around the same time.
Colbert said the man is 23 years old and from the Havre area. He praised him for bringing the proper equipment for a trip into the backcountry.
“He had all the stuff he needed,” he said.
Colbert also advised that the conditions in the mountains can be deceiving at this time of year.
“There’s still a lot of snow there,” he said. “They’ve got to watch out.”
