Shortly after 6pm Sunday, a hiker in Alpine Lakes Wilderness sent out a distress signal from their fitness watch when their companion started to suffer critical heat stroke.
Kittitas Search and Rescue hiked out to find and help the two men, but when the situation was determined to be very serious, the county reached out to US Army Air Ambulance Detachment “Yakima Dustoff”.
The Dustoff crew launched a night flight and was able to touch down and start providing care around 1:30 am.
Kittitas County Sheriff Clayton Meyers said in a Facebook post Monday afternoon that the incident serves as a good reminder of both the value of emergency rescue personnel and the dangers of heat sickness, even for the physically fit.
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