Action Star Harrison Ford Rescues Hiker

I D A H O  F A L L S, Idaho, Aug. 7, 2000 -- Movie hero Harrison Ford got to play one in real life last week.

Ford, star of box office blockbusters such as the Star Wars series and Indiana Jones trilogy, is being credited with rescuing a hiker in distress.

Sarah George, 20, and Megan Freeman, 22, were on a five-hour climb of 11,106-foot Table Mountain on July 31 when heat, altitude and dehydration left George sick and unable to take more than a couple steps. After another hiker called for help on a cell phone, Air Force One star Ford took to the air.

But Han Solo didn’t need the Millennium Falcon for this mission: he used his slightly more modest Bell 407 helicopter.

And thankfully, Indy held onto his hat when the weakened hiker had to barf. She instead lost her lunch into the cap of an EMT worker shortly after the rescue.

Didn’t Know It Was Ford

Freeman and two other hikers were able to move George about two miles from the summit to a meadow where Ford could land. The women had no idea who the rescuer would be. Finally, the emergency medical technician on board made it clear.

“He was wearing a T-shirt and a cowboy hat,” said George. “He didn’t look like I’d ever seen him before.”

The part-time Jackson, Wyo., resident offers his flying skills and helicopter for rescue missions, Teton County Sheriff Bob Zimmer said. It saves the $1,000 an hour it would cost to hire a private pilot.

The actor landed his helicopter in a meadow and picked up George; Freeman was told there wasn’t enough room and had to hike down. She later admitted a little jealousy — but not because she missed meeting the matinee idol.

She was jealous because she had to walk down the mountain.

‘I Barfed’

“He was wearing a T-shirt and a cowboy hat,” said George. “He didn’t look like I’d ever seen him before.”

The ailing George vomited into the hat with about a minute to go before landing at Jackson’s St. John’s Hospital.

“I can’t believe I barfed in Harrison Ford’s helicopter,” she said.

Ford did get one reward for his effort: a fan. George says she’ll watch any film he makes from now on.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.