A 79-year-old grandmother who broke her leg during a hike was rescued by an “angel” who carried her for hours on his back to safety.
Every year, Ursula Bannister of Tacoma, Washington hikes High Rock Lookout, a three-mile trail that overlooks Mount Rainier National Park. Bannister makes the trip in honor of her late mother Hilde, who loved the majestic peak and picking huckleberries at the bottom of the trail.
“When she visited, she would say, ‘I have to look at my ice cream cone,’” Bannister, a retired teacher, tells TODAY.com of the mountain view from her neighborhood. “When she passed, we took her ashes to High Rock.”
Bannister hiked the approximately one-and-half miles to her mom’s final resting place on August 28, carrying dahlia flowers. Bannister usually packs a picnic lunch and hikes with her grandson or her daughter’s dog Riley, but on that afternoon, she was hiking solo.
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On her way down the trail, Bannister’s right foot got caught in a hole on the ground and she fell.
“I knew right away that it was broken,” says Bannister.
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At first, says Bannister, she didn’t feel pain, but moving or standing was out of the question.
“My tibia and fibula were next to my ankle — not where they’re supposed to be — and my foot was turned all the way to the right,” says Bannister, adding that she wrapped her leg in a blanket from her backpack and called out for help.
After several minutes, a few hikers spotted Bannister.
One man called 911 and was informed that a search-and-rescue team would require five hours to reach their location. A physical therapist and an occupational therapist who were visiting from Minnesota tried unsuccessfully to locate painkillers for Bannister — whose pain had grown “severe”— and tightened her leg wrap.
Suddenly, a woman and two men — who Bannister describes as “very buff” — walked over.
It was U.S. Air Force Airman Troy May, who is stationed at nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, along with his fiancée Alexandria Miles and his friend Layton Allen.
May, 20, made a spontaneous proposal.
“I said, ‘I’ll piggyback you down,” May tells TODAY.com. “I was already going there.’”
The group of strangers worked together to hoist Bannister onto May’s back. To keep Bannister secure and to lessen the weight on his back, May wore a backpack on his chest and Bannister slipped her legs through the shoulder straps.
For encouragement, the group exchanged life stories during the hours-long walk down the mountain.
May says Bannister told them about her annual hike to the location of her mom’s ashes, and Bannister learned that Allen is a cowboy who lives in New Mexico. When the insole of May’s boots caused discomfort, another hiker who had joined their group gave his shoes to May, walking the rest of the way in his socks. Mid-hike, Allen briefly carried Bannister on his back to give May a break.
“I had my arms around Troy and ... I apologized to his fiancé saying, ‘I am sorry, I have been nuzzling your boyfriend’s neck,’” Bannister jokes.
When the group reached Bannister’s car, Allen drove her to Multicare Tacoma General Hospital, where she was met by her son.
“Layton had the emergency flashers on,” says Bannister. “I thought that was pretty amazing.”
Bannister is now wearing a cast for three broken bones — her tibia, fibula and a bone in her heel.
Previously strangers, the group is now bonded. Bannister says she and May have since eaten lunch together and spoken on the phone. Bannister also received a “get well” card from the man who gave May his shoes. For his role, May says he received an achievement medal from his commander.
Bannister says she feels blessed to have encountered such “kind and sweet” strangers.
“I am the luckiest person in the world,” says Bannister. “It was amazing that these people ... from all different walks of life ... came out of the woodwork and all stayed with me. They were truly angels.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
