On Monday at approximately 9:21 p.m., Soldotna Troopers received a text message to 911 reporting that an 18-year-old hiker was experiencing difficulty breathing after suffering an allergic reaction approximately 14 miles from the trailhead on the Resurrection Pass Trail near East Creek Cabin. The 911 text messages indicated that an EpiPen had been administered to the patient, but due to the seriousness of his condition and the remote location, additional assistance was needed.

Troopers contacted the Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), which accepted the mission and dispatched a rescue team to the area. After locating and making contact with the patient, RCC personnel were able to safely airlift him from the trail and transport him to medical facilities in Anchorage for further evaluation and treatment.

The patient was identified as 18-year-old Udi Gitau of Georgia, who was visiting Alaska with a group of students from the Georgia Institute of Technology. The successful rescue allowed Gitau to receive medical care despite the remote location where the allergic reaction occurred.