Rescuers describe Airman's fall into canyon

On April 24, while hiking and climbing at the edge of the Bruneau Canyon, Senior Airman Jake Rodenhaber, 21, of Mountain Home Air Force Base, felt some rocks give way before he fell about 30 feet to a rocky ledge.

Then, he slid and tumbled, hitting several more outcroppings before coming to rest. Rodenhaber had fallen 330 feet into the canyon that can be up to 1,200 feet deep in places.

His friend, Airman Michael Hejmanowski, started running for help to the closest phone 10 miles away at the Air Force bombing range. The car keys for the vehicle they'd driven to go hiking were in Rodenhaber's pocket -- almost straight down into the canyon.

For the full story, pick up a copy of the Mountain Home News or click on this link to subscribe to the newspaper's online edition.