Ursula Bannister traveled alone last month to High Rock Lookout, a hiking trail southwest of Mount Rainier near Ashford, for a trip she makes yearly. The visit held a particularly special meaning: Bannister, 79, was laying her mother’s ashes to rest.
On the way down during her midday Aug. 28 hike, the Tacoma resident stepped into a shallow hole and soon after felt pain spreading, causing her to cry out for help, according to a news release from Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Several hikers came to her aid, called for emergency assistance and weighed their options as to what to do next.
Two men who happened to be nearby arrived at the scene, including Troy May, an Airman 1st Class stationed at JBLM.
“My first thought was if I could carry her down, I should carry her down and get her there as quickly as I can,” May said in the news release.
So that’s what May did.
JBLM officials said May slung the injured woman on his back and trekked down the trail. It’s moderately steep and a 3.2-mile round trip, according to the Washington Trails Association. May constantly braked on foot in cowboy boots that were causing pain.
“I told her just a few more steps and we’d get her there,” he said.
For a short time, May’s friend took over carrying Bannister.
“Once we got down, we loaded her into her car, elevated her foot and started driving to the hospital,” May said. “We met search and rescue about 30 minutes down the road, put ice on her foot, drove the rest of the way to the hospital and waited for her son to get there.”
Several days later, Bannister called May and his friend to tell them she was recovering from surgery and that she appreciated what they had done, according to JBLM.
In the news release, Bannister said that she was familiar with the trail and knew that there were always many people there, so when she couldn’t find anyone to go with her, she decided to make the hike solo.
“I truly felt that these two guys were meant to be there to save me, and that sort of swam in my subconscious at the time,” Bannister said. “I considered them my angels.”
For his efforts, May was awarded an achievement medal on Sept. 9. Lt. Col. Joshua Clifford, 62nd AMXS commander, said in a statement that May had “clearly exemplified” one of the Air Force’s core values: service before self.
