A map identifying Gull Cove, on the north end of Chichagof Island, as shown on the Gull Cove Lodge website.
A Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued a hiker early Saturday morning (4-11-15) after she went missing from a lodge on Chichagof Island.
According to a report from the Alaska State Troopers, 55-year-old Gretchen Bishop of Juneau had gone for a hike on Friday evening (4-10-15), in the area behind the Gull Cove Lodge. She was reported missing after her dog returned to the lodge without her about two hours later.
Gull Cove is located on the north end of Chichagof Island, off Icy Strait.
The Troopers requested help from the Coast Guard just before midnight on Friday. A helicopter was dispatched from Air Station Sitka at about 12:35 a.m. Saturday.
The crew searched for about two hours and was about to return to Sitka to refuel when they spotted Bishop on the shore of a riverbed, about half a mile south of the lodge. The helicopter was able to land to pick her up.
The Coast Guard reported that the weather at the time of the rescue was about 36 degrees, with 17 mile-per-hour winds and snow squalls. Bishop was reportedly showing signs of hypothermia but was otherwise uninjured.
She was flown back to Sitka for medical care, landing at about 4:15 Saturday morning.
