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Coast Guard dispatched to find missing hiker

Associated Press - March 8, 2010 8:24 PM ET

HAINES, Alaska (AP) - The Coast Guard is sending a helicopter to rescue an extreme hiker on Meade Glacier.

The crew was dispatched Monday to the glacier, located in the Tongass National Forest east of Haines in southeast Alaska.

A 28-year-old Haines man was dropped off alone at the glacier on Feb. 20, and did not show at a scheduled pickup site Sunday.

The ski-plane sent to pick him up found him about 7 miles away, at an altitude of 4,300 feet.

The ski-plane couldn't land but dropped him a hand-held radio. The man said he was tired, weak and hadn't eaten for four days.

The guard helicopter was expected to arrive late Monday afternoon, but Haines is in a winter storm warning until Tuesday morning. Another helicopter was unable to reach the hiker earlier Monday because of weather.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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