Injured hiker rescued after fall in steep terrain in Wenatchee

A 22-year-old Leavenworth man hiking in steep terrain above Ingalls Creek was rescued Sunday after falling 50 feet, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Sheriff Brian Burnett said Tristan Parrish was hiking with family and a friend around noon on Saturday when he slipped on some sliding rocks. The group was traveling on a steep slope east of the Crystal Creek drainage and attempted to make their way to Crystal Lake when Parrish fell, suffering head, knee and ankle injuries.

Because there was no cellphone service in the area, Parrish’s brother and friend hiked down Ingalls Creek Trail and to the trailhead to call 911.

The sheriff’s office coordinated a ground search using a mountain rescue team. High winds prevented a helicopter search.

Eventually, two rescuers met Parrish’s brother and began hiking to the scene of the accident. Authorities said darkness forced them to stop and wait for daylight because of the rocky terrain.

Searchers found the injured man and his father at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday. A U.S. Navy helicopter rescue crew extracted the group about 11:45 a.m. They were taken to Pangborn Memorial Airport where medics were waiting to take Parrish to Confluence Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee.

Cox Media Group