TOWNSHIP A RANGE 11 – A Massachusetts hiker who had injured his knee was airlifted from the Appalachian Trail on Thursday afternoon.
It was unclear how long Lawrence Shlansky, 55, of Beverly, Mass., had been at his tent site near the East Branch of the Pleasant River when northbound hikers Moira Harrington of Pittsburgh and Sherry White of Aurora, Colo., found him, according to Warden Roger Guay of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
“He had injured his knee and he couldn’t go any farther, and they were really concerned for him,” Guay said Thursday. “The situation was complicated by other medical issues.”
Harrington and White, who were picked up at Crawford Pond by Dawn McPherson, owner of Shaw’s Lodging in Monson, stopped at the Jo Mary checkpoint and called authorities at about 11:45 a.m.
Two pilots with the Maine Forest Service airlifted wardens and emergency medical technicians to Shlansky’s location at about 3:45 p.m. Since it was unknown from which direction it would be easier to reach the injured man, another pair of rescuers traveled in with a motor vehicle and a canoe, according to Guay.
“We were able to find a little, tiny hole just the size of the helicopter within about a half of a mile from where he was,” Guay said. “We landed on a patch a squirrel would have had a hard time turning around in.”
Shlansky was provided with crutches and was assisted to the helicopter for the flight to Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital in Greenville, according to the warden. He was being treated Thursday night.
Guay was unsure where Shlansky had started the hike but believed he had left Millinocket. He said Shlansky had set up a tent and likely had been at the location for at least 24 hours. He said the southbound hiker had other bumps and bruises and would not have been able to continue.
“He was very glad to be rescued,” Guay said. Shlansky’s sister from Massachusetts was notified and she was making arrangements to come get him, he said.
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