A hiker was evacuated Tuesday from White River National Forest in an air ambulance after collapsing on a trail in the area.

Deputies from the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a hiker needing medical attention around 3 p.m. Tuesday, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

The hiker — who has not been identified — was exploring the East Maroon Trail in White River National Forest about four miles from the trailhead when they started experiencing heart palpitations, shortness of breath and muscle weakness, sheriff’s officials said.

East Maroon Trail is about 5 miles southwest of Aspen and is a primary access point to the Maroon Bells Wilderness area.

The 20.9-mile out-and-back trail is generally considered a challenging route that takes hikers around 10 hours to complete, according to AllTrails.

At 3:55 p.m., sheriff’s deputies called in Mountain Rescue Aspen crews and a helicopter from CareFlight of the Rockies, the release stated.

Medical staff on the CareFlight helicopter reached the hiker around 5 p.m. and took them to nearby Aspen Valley Hospital, sheriff’s officials said in the news release.

Rescue crews escorted the other members of the hiking party back to the trailhead and were out of the field around 7:30 p.m. Sheriff’s officials did not specify how many people were in the hiking group.

“Response to injury and illness in the backcountry often takes considerable time for responders to reach the person in need,” sheriff’s officials said in the news release, adding that hikers exploring the backcountry should have a reliable means of communication and basic first aid skills in case something goes wrong.

No update on the hiker’s condition was available Wednesday morning.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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Originally Published: July 24, 2024 at 10:58 a.m.