Injured hiker airlifted after fall in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
A 61-year-old female hiker from Bow was airlifted Saturday after falling and breaking her ankle while hiking in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputies and Bellingham Mountain Rescue were notified at approximately noon Sept. 27 of the incident, which occurred off the Baker Lake Trail, sheriff’s office spokesperson Deb Slater told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Rescue personnel located the injured hiker approximately two miles above the parking lot for the trail near Baker Lake and found that the hiker had suffered a compound ankle fracture, according to Slater, who said she did not know how far the hiker had fallen.
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island was contacted and agreed to fly a helicopter to that area and transport her, Slater reported.
The helicopter arrived and hoisted the hiker aboard at approximately 3 p.m., according to a Navy release on the incident, and flew her to St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, where she received medical care.
It was the first of two rescues Whidbey Search and Rescue crews were a part of Saturday, as they also hoisted an injured female hiker on the Olympic Peninsula later in the day, according to the release. Naval Air Station Whidbey Island crews have conducted 45 missions through the state this year, including 33 rescues, four searches and eight medical evacuations.
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 12:06 PM.
