PILCHUCK, Wash. — A hiker who was hurt Friday evening was saved by rescuers in Snohomish County -- but not until early Sunday.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team was dispatched to Bear Lake Trail near Pilchuck for a hiker who was missing.
The hiker, a 55-year-old man, was found hurt and hypothermic after becoming trapped in Hempel Creek.
Luckily, the man’s 44-year-old hiking partner had flagged down help.
Though the SNOHAWK10 helicopter flight crew and rescue teams tried to hoist the victim out, the rescue was thwarted by bad weather.
After hours of rigging lines and cutting ropes, members of the sheriff’s office search and rescue team and Snohomish County Volunteer Search & Rescue were able to bring him back to the trailhead early Sunday.
Members of the sheriff’s office search and rescue team and Snohomish County Volunteer Search & Rescue spent hours rigging lines and cutting ropes before managing to bring the victim back to the trailhead early Sunday.