Two overdue hikers were hoisted out of a deep ravine after they were reported overdue from a hike on the Juneau ice field on Sunday night.

According to the trooper report, 67-year-old Kirk Miller and 69-year-old Bohdan Petryszak, both of New York had hiked onto the Lemon Creek Glacier and were due back at 6 pm on Saturday. When they did not return, they were reported as overdue at approximately 8 am on Sunday.

Juneau Mountain Rescue deployed aboard a commercial helicopter from Juneau and searched for the day before locating the two hikers situated in a deep ravine surrounded by hazardous terrain. It was quickly determined that a hoist was required because of the hazardous conditions for the searchers.

A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was deployed and at 8:18 pm the two were plucked from the ravine and transported to Juneau.

One hiker suffered minor injuries and was treated at Bartlett Regional.

“This case highlighted the great working relationship between the Coast Guard and Juneau Mountain Rescue,” said Lt. Kellen Browne, a pilot on the case. “Preparation on the part of the survivors with the proper communication equipment was key to the successful rescue of the two hikers.”

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