AngelsRest.jpg

Angeles Rest A view west from the top of Angel's Rest trail with downtown Portland off in the distance.

(Oregonian/OregonLive file photo)

Updated Thursday

A hiker suffered life-threatening injuries in a fall off a 150-foot cliff Wednesday in the Columbia River Gorge, an official said.

Samuel Cha, a 31 year old from Vancouver, became lightheaded after hiking about a mile on the popular Angel's Rest trail, went to sit down and fell backward off the cliff after his perch gave way, said Lt. Chad Gaidos, a Multnomah County Sheriff's Office spokesman.

Rescuers brought him to an ambulance, which rushed him to Rooster Rock State Park, Gaidos said in an email. He was then flown by helicopter to OHSU Hospital.

Cha was hiking with two family members, Gaidos said. Gaidos didn't specify what kind of object the hiker was trying to sit on, leading to the fall.

Gaidos did not know Cha's condition on Thursday afternoon.

The trail, which is in the Mt. Hood National Forest, rewards hikers with a spectacular view of the Columbia River. OregonHikers.org rates the 4.8-mile round-trip hike as moderate in terms of difficulty.

A hiker fell to his death on the trail near Corbett in August 2016.

An earlier version of this story misidentified Samuel Cha due to a source's error.

— The Oregonian/OregonLive