CAMDEN — Slippery leaves, icy granite, and a narrow, steep trail did not deter a team of 22 from Camden Fire and Rescue, Camden Police Dept., volunteers with Coastal Mountains Search and Rescue, and North East Mobile Health Services from bringing an injured hiker down the face of Mt. Battie to a waiting ambulance.

The rescue occurred Friday, Nov. 24, just after 11 a.m., as a visiting Massachusetts female hiker, 66, slipped and fell on a wet leaves one quarter of the way up the trail, just about at the start of the mountain’s cliff face.

The Mt. Battie Trail, which is part of Camden Hills State Park, is accessed from a small parking lot at the top of Megunticook Street in Camden. It is a popular, although strenuous, hike up to the summit.

The woman and her husband were descending from a post-Thanksgiving hike back to the parking lot when she fell and was unable to walk. Knox Regional Communication Center, in Rockland, was alerted via a 911 call, and dispatched first responders to the trail. They then hiked up the mountain with a Stokes Basket and medical supplies.

When they reached the hiker, they splinted her lower leg and ankle, bundled her into a blanket, and lifted her into the basket.

From there it was a “slow and steady” careful descent back down the mountain, said Camden Fire Chief Chris Farley.

“All hands were needed,” he said, as the crew cautiously moved the basket with the woman in it, hand-over-hand, as they picked their way over rocks and roots.

In total, there were 10 firefighters and EMS, two police officers, nine Coastal Mountains search and rescue volunteers, and one ambulance crew member. At the bottom, two more ambulance personnel stood by to transport the woman to the hospital.

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 206-706-6657