DENVER -- A 20-year-old hiker was bitten by an adult rattlesnake and has been airlifted to a local hospital, a Colorado Springs TV station reported.

The man was bitten around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, reported KRDO.

A Blackhawk from Buckley Air Force Base was called to airlift he man out of Blodgett Peak in northwest Colorado Springs.

Fire Lieutenant James Edday said the victim is awake and doesn't have much swelling.

"Time is not on our side as far as the sooner we can get him to definitive care, the better off we'll be," Eddy told KRDO.

"You don't want the person walking cause that makes the system kick up and pump any venom faster through the system," he said.