Hiker rescued after injury on Arizona Trail
Payson Roundup (June 18, 2025) by Alexis Bechman
An Eagar man injured while hiking the Arizona Trail was rescued last week by local search and rescue teams.
Tonto Rim Search and Rescue (TRSAR) responded June 9 to a call to locate a missing 67-year-old hiker. He had been hiking Passage 25 of the Arizona Trail, a remote 23-mile stretch from LF Ranch, west of Doll Baby Ranch, to Pine.
“Passage 25 covers 23 miles from LF Ranch (west of Doll Baby Ranch) to Pine, AZ. It is a remote section of the Arizona Trail with very little access,” said Bill Pitterle, TRSAR commander. “Given the hot temperatures and limited access, the initial plan was to cover it by DPS Ranger helicopter. By early afternoon, there was no sign of the missing hiker.”
That afternoon, rescuers revised their plan. Two teams were inserted via helicopter about halfway along the passage near where the man was last seen. Prepared to spend the night on the trail, one team headed south and the other north.
Meanwhile, a third team began a search from LF Ranch heading north to check if the man had completed the section and was making his way down Doll Baby Road. A fourth team, including former Pine-Strawberry Fire Chief Gary Morris—who has extensive experience on the trail—set out from Pine with the goal of hiking the full passage to LF Ranch.
“After an overnight on the trail, the northbound team found the subject in the bottom of Rock Creek Canyon,” said Pitterle. “He had injured his foot and was suffering from the heat and the elements. He and the northbound team were extracted by DPS helicopter.”
Morris found the man’s pack while traveling south and marked its location on the map. On June 10, a fifth team of two volunteers hiked 10 miles round trip to retrieve the pack, which the man could not carry out due to his injury.
The man had reportedly logged many miles hiking the Arizona Trail prior to the incident.
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