Washington hiker survives 1,200-foot fall on Mt. Ellinor in Olympic National Forest, Navy says
MASON COUNTY, Wash. - A hiker in the Olympic National Forest was found alive on Saturday after tumbling more than 1,200 feet down a ravine on Mt. Ellinor, officials said.
The 30-year-old man was near the top of the mountain with his hiking partner when he fell down the ravine, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NAS) said in a statement on Monday. The hiking partner called for help after being unable to find or contact his friend.
NAS launched a search and rescue crew around 6:20 p.m. and met with rescuers from Mason County on the mountain.
After teams found no trace of the missing hiker near the top of the mountain, crews began searching at the bottom of a large avalanche runout about 1,000 feet down the slope from the mountaintop, NAS said.
The hiker fell more than 1,200 feet down Mt. Ellinor and survived. (Naval Air Station Whidbey Island)
Crews then spotted a sign that the hiker was still alive.
"During that search they saw a flashing light near a boulder field slightly below the avalanche runout, and more than 1,200 feet below where he initially fell," NAS said.
With the risk of further avalanches and rock falls being a major concern, rescuers lowered a crew member down to the fallen hiker’s location and quickly hoisted him aboard a helicopter, officials said.
Mt. Ellinor is part of the Olympic Mountains in the Mount Skokomish Wilderness. (U.S. Forest Service, File)
The 30-year-old, whose name was not publicly released, suffered a broken arm, symptoms of hypothermia and significant abrasions from the fall. He was being treated at Harborview Medical Center.
So far this year, NAS said its search and rescue team has carried out 43 missions, including four MEDEVACs, six searches and 33 rescues.