Hiker airlifted to hospital after passing out atop Maine's tallest mountain

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A 20-year-old hiker lost consciousness on Maine's tallest mountain and spent a scary night on the infamous Knife Edge Trail before being airlifted to safety by a Maine Army National Guard helicopter, officials said Wednesday.

The hiker began struggling after her group of six reached the summit of 5,269-foot Mount Katahdin around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, and she was unable to go any farther while attempting to cross the Knife Edge, said Kevin Adam, director of Baxter State Park.

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The hiker was airlifted to a hospital Sunday morning in Bangor, Adam said. She was released from the emergency room, but her condition was not known, he said.

A hiker was airlifted to a hospital after losing consciousness atop Mount Katahdin, the highest point in Maine.

It was a tense, hours-long situation after the group dialed 911 and a ranger arrived at 11:30 p.m. to find the hiker unconscious, Adam said.

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The other hikers told rescuers the illness came on quickly on the Knife Edge, a narrow trail with steep dropoffs on both sides, said Mathew Lint, one of three members of North Search and Rescue who climbed the mountain to assist.

The rocky trail was narrow for eight people — two rangers and six hikers — who hunkered down until daylight, Adam said.

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Lint and his rescue team also spent the night on the mountain, and they assisted the five remaining hikers on an 11-hour hike to the bottom. Along the way, the group learned that the distressed hiker was in stable condition at the hospital, he said.