Rescued Climber Donates $10K to Spokane Aerial Unit

July 30th, a 37-year-old male climber left the Cathedral Rock Trailhead, and began to climb up Mt. Daniel, a 7,960-foot tall peak northeast of Snoqualmie Pass and West of Leavenworth. Little did he reailze he'd be plucked by a chopper the next day.

The Hiker Reached His Destination, Then What?

The man reached the top after about an 8-hour climb and hike, but as he began his descent, he misread the terrain, and found himself stranded on a small ledge, only a few square feet. There was no way to safely climb back up or down. The man spent the night on the ledge, then was able to put in a distress call.

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The Spokane County Regional Air Support Rescue 3 Team took the call, they answer emergencies across a wide area.

The Chopper Arrived, and the Man was Safely Extricated

Around 11 AM, he was located and Air Rescue 3 navigated to the ledge, an Air Medic was lowered, and after a very quick check of his condition, he was securely attatched to the cable and both were raised back up in to the cabin of the chopper. When they were on the ground, he was again evaluated by the medical worker and aside from fatigue and cold was OK. He and the medic are circled in red in this image.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, told the crew it was the toughest situation he'd ever faced and was not sure he would survive, but he did.

The Man Then Did an Amazing Thing

This week, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office reported the man made a $10,000 donation to be used to support the Spokane Regional Air Support Unit, but wishes to remain anonymous. His image was blurred in the video per his request. Talk about paying it forward!