2 injured Seattle-area climbers rescued after fall on Mount Stuart near Leavenworth

LEAVENWORTH, Wash. -- Two injured Seattle-area climbers were rescued Monday after falling and then sliding 800 to 1,000 feet down Mount Stuart, about 12 miles southwest of Leavenworth.

Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett said Eddie McFarland, 28, of Seattle, and Eric Strickler, 29, of Bainbridge Island, were hoisted off the mountain by a King County sheriff's rescue helicopter and transported to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee.

McFarland suffered a fractured femur and Strickler had head and neck injuries, Burnett said.

According to the climbers, Burnett said, the two were ascending the northeast face of Mount Stuart when McFarland lost his footing and fell. Both of their anchor points came loose and they slid about 800 to 1,000 feet down the mountain before coming to rest on a glacier.

At about 10 a.m. Monday, RIVERCOM dispatch center received a call from the state Emergency Operations Center, advising that an emergency beacon had been activated on Mount Stuart, Burnett said.

Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue coordinators responded and were eventually able to make phone contact with the victims.