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  It took a helicopter flight to the lower elevations of Sheratin Mountain and a hike after that, but early this morning, a rescue party of Kodiak Island Search and Rescue members, coordinated by the Alaska State Troopers, rescued four technicians that had been stranded on the 2800-foot peak ten miles west of Kodiak City. The rescuers arrived with warm clothing and shelter and hiked down the mountain to safety. 

The four men, technicians constructing the first tower in an island-wide network of high-speed microwave communication relays, included Kodiak Kenai Cable Company Chief Operating Officer Brian Kincaid and three contractors with Belarde Custom Concrete Company of Kodiak. The men were dropped off with a week of supplies in good weather Sunday to work on the tower. Sunday night, high winds reportedly blew away one tent and some of the supplies.

Steve Wielebski, president of the all-volunteer Kodiak Island Search and Rescue group, who helped coordinate the rescue effort with Alaska State Troopers, described the rescue operation.

Wielebski said the KISAR gets called into action when the state troopers and the Coast Guard are unable to facilitate a rescue on their own, which was the case Monday due to volatile weather condidtions.

Wielebski said said all four technicians are safe and in good health, despite the fatigue of the ordeal.

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            As the North Pacific Fishery Management Council kicks off its meetings in Anchorage today, Greenpeace is trying to build awareness over what it sees as danger to the state's most lucrative fishery. Anne Hillman has more:

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           Kodiak High School senior Trevor Dunbar earned his first ticket to the national high school cross country championships by placing third Saturday in the Foot Locker Western Region Cross Country Championships in Walnut, California. Dunbar becomes only the second Alaskan high school boy to make it to nationals and only the fourth Alaskan runner overall. KMXT's Erik Wander has more.

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           Four men are trapped atop Sharatin Mountain on Kodiak Island, pinned down by high winds and blizzard conditions. As of this afternoon, weather conditions were preventing a Coast Guard helicopter from Air Station Kodiak from responding. Petty Officer Walter Shinn said winds are gusting to 50 miles per hour, and visibility on the mountain is too low for a rescue attempt.

             The men were dropped off with a week of supplies in good weather Sunday to continue work on the tower, which had been halted with the onset of winter. During the night, high winds reportedly blew away one tent and some of the supplies.

             Ebell says the four men are now back together, after three were separated during the night. The three reportedly hunkered down in a snow cave on the leeward side of the mountain, about 10 miles west of Kodiak City.

             One member of the group called the Coast Guard at about 5 a.m. on a satellite phone, reporting he was in good condition. The other three called at 7:45 on VHF radio reporting mild frostbite and hypothermia symptoms.

            Ebell says if weather conditions improve, a contract helicopter will pick them up on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Shinn says the Coast Guard will launch sooner if conditions permit. Shinn said the Alaska State Troopers are planning to send a ground party up the mountain, which Ebell confirmed.