On July 31, 2000, 20-year-old Sarah George and 22-year-old Megan Freeman decided to hike to the peak of Table Mountain to take in the views. After five hours of climbing in the sweltering heat, they neared the summit. Sarah began to feel weak. She and Megan had exhausted their small supply of water quicker than they had anticipated. The combination of the heat, altitude, and dehydration made Sarah physically ill. The hike back down Table Mountain would take a climber in peak physical condition about five hours to complete, but Sarah could only take a couple of steps at a time before having to stop to rest. Megan tried to help Sarah, but they quickly realized how dire their situation was.
Megan pulled out her cell phone and called 911, but there was a problem. Neither Teton County, Wyoming, in which Table Mountain is located, nor adjoining Lincoln County could afford the $1,000 per hour cost to hire a private helicopter and pilot for rescues. They knew of a private pilot who lived just a few miles away who had offered his helicopter and piloting services free of charge for emergencies, but he only lived there part time. Luckily, the pilot was at his home in Jackson, Wyoming when the call came in. Within minutes, the pilot and his co-pilot picked up a paramedic in his Bell 407 helicopter and headed to Table Mountain.
Meanwhile, two other hikers came upon Sarah and Megan. Megan explained that she had called 911 and hoped a helicopter would come to their rescue, but Sarah had to get to the nearest clearing where a helicopter could land. Megan and the two other hikers carried Sarah about two miles to a meadow on Table Mountain. When the helicopter came into view, Megan and the two hikers waved their arms and got the pilot’s attention. The helicopter landed and the paramedic ran to Sarah. The paramedic told Megan that they only had enough room to take Sarah from the mountain. They loaded Sarah into the helicopter and began flying to a nearby hospital. Megan had no choice but to hike back down the mountain.
As they flew toward the hospital, Sarah glanced at the paramedic, co-pilot, and pilot. She noted that the pilot was not wearing the attire she expected of a typical rescue pilot. Sarah said the pilot was wearing a t-shirt and an old cowboy hat. Suddenly, she felt nauseous. They were only about a minute away from the hospital when Sarah said she was going to be sick. The pilot quickly handed Sarah his cowboy hat and she vomited in it. Just before they landed at the hospital, the paramedic revealed the identity of the pilot to Sarah. She told reporters that “he didn’t look like I’d ever seen him before.” She had certainly seen the pilot many times before. She had seen him fly airplanes and spaceships on multiple occasions, but never in person. Sarah’s rescuer, the aviation enthusiast who offered his rescue services free of charge, is a cinematic cultural icon. Sarah was embarrassed when she told reporters, “I can’t believe I barfed in Harrison Ford’s helicopter.”
Sources:
1. Casper Star-Tribune, August 6, 2000, p.15.
2. USA Today, August 7, 2000, p.15.
3. New York Daily News, August 7, 2000, p.8.