--- title: "Rescue team parachutes to remote Alaska river, rafts across to reach hunters" description: "A technical river rescue, already a challenging feat, was made even more difficult for an Air Force team well above the Arctic Circle." date: "2026-09-22" modified: "2026-09-22" authors: - name: "Matt White" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/matt-white.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/alaska-rescue-river-rafting-hunters/" categories: - "Military Branches" - "National Guard" - "News" --- # Rescue team parachutes to remote Alaska river, rafts across to reach hunters ![Alaska Air National Guard pararescuemen from the 212th Rescue Squadron conduct airborne operations from an Alaska Army National Guard CH-47F Chinook helicopter at Malemute Drop Zone, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 9, 2024. The Guardsmen of the 212th RQS and the 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron Tactical Air Control Party special warfare Airmen conducted joint airborne training to maintain the pararescue jumpers' proficiency in conducting full-spectrum personnel recovery to include both conventional and unconventional rescue operations and the TACPs to direct lethal and nonlethal joint firepower whenever necessary.]() *Alaska Air National Guard pararescuemen from the 212th Rescue Squadron conduct airborne operations from an Alaska Army National Guard CH-47F Chinook helicopter at Malemute Drop Zone, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 9, 2024. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Hunter Hites. \\* When a group of civilian hunters found themselves trapped by a rising river above the Arctic Circle this month, an Alaska Air National Guard team had to use just about every backcountry rescue trick in the book to get them out. In a span of a day-long rescue that extended into night, the Anchorage-based 176th Wing flew an HC-130 to the most remote corner of the state, where a team of pararescuemen, or PJs, [parachuted near the missing hunters, according to a release from the Guard](). There, the PJs rigged a rope system across a rising river, then ferried the group of stuck hunters to safety on a raft the HC-130 crew dropped under its own parachute. Once on dry ground, the team even started a campfire to get the group warm before a civilian helicopter arrived. ![Rescue personnel from the 212th Rescue Squadron prepare to free fall parachute from a 211th RQS HC-130J Combat King II aircraft over the Lower Susitna Valley near Anchorage, Alaska, Feb. 7, 2023. The HC-130J and rescue personnel along with the 210th RQS HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter sit alert for the federal search and rescue mission across Alaska’s vast Arctic region. The HC-130J’s aerial refueling capability significantly extends the HH-60G Pave Hawk’s range for conducting search and recovery missions. (Alaska National Guard photo by Dana Rosso)]() *Rescue personnel from the 212th Rescue Squadron prepare to free-fall parachute from a 211th RQS HC-130J Combat King II aircraft over the Lower Susitna Valley near Anchorage, Alaska, Feb. 7, 2023. Alaska National Guard photo by Dana Rosso.* The rescue began, as most do in the age of satellite phones, with a call for help to the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. On the other end of the line was a group of hunters on the Kukpowruk River, one of the most remote and inaccessible spots in the state. The Kukpowruk is one of the rare rivers on Earth that flows entirely above the Arctic Circle. It runs on the northern side of the state’s farthest-north mountains, and its mouth flows into the Arctic Ocean roughly 120 miles from the nearest town. In Lower 48 math, the rescue was roughly equivalent to first responders in New York City responding to an emergency in Atlanta, Georgia. “Using coordinates provided through the hunters’ two-way satellite communication device, the HC-130 crew reached the search area, visually identified the hunters’ tent and spotted their flashlight,” the Guard’s release said. “With a low cloud ceiling limiting operations in the area, 212th RQS PJs conducted a low-altitude jump with a pack raft to reach the stranded hunters.” Packrafts are single-person, inflatable kayaks that are a common backcountry tool in Alaska. Deflated, the boats can easily be carried in a small backpack. The HC-130 crew also airdropped an additional raft and survival equipment near the site. On the ground, the PJs — who frequently train for both swiftwater and high-angle rope rescues — rigged a line that they used to ferry the hunters across the river. “The PJs then started a fire to help warm the hunters while they waited for extraction,” the release said. Air Force PJs used a similar rigging of an overhead line to transport rescuers, supplies, and, eventually, [13 boys trapped hundreds of feet up a flooded cave in Thailand]() in 2018. A civilian helicopter from Utqiagvik — Alaska’s farthest-north town, formerly known as Barrow — eventually arrived to put up the PJs and the hunters, where the HC-130 was able to land. ## Author Matt White is a senior editor at Task & Purpose*.* He writes on news, people and events that affect the lives of those in the Army, Air Force and Space Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. He also helps direct and edit coverage across Task & Purpose’s newsroom. He has written widely on military aviation and mishaps, service members with unique stories, and special operations including [combat search and rescue](). Got a story to tell? You can reach Matt at [matthew.white@taskandpurpose.com]() ### Author social links [Facebook]()