Rescue crews extract two hikers from Cascade Mountains over three-day period
Search and rescue teams evacuated two people from the Cascades Mountains in three days, according to a Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island in a news release.
A 25-year-old woman fell about 80 feet while 7,800 feet above sea level on June 14 on the eastern face of Silver Star Mountain in Okanagan County. The fall “severely lacerated her right leg” making it impossible for her to walk, according to the release.
NAS Whidbey Island sent a search and rescue (SAR) team after receiving a request for assistance from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) just before 1 p.m. The SAR team arrived at the woman’s location around 1:50 p.m., the release states.
The woman was rescued from the area in under 30 minutes and was flown to St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham.
The second rescue was June 16 on the Pacific Crest Trail below Devil’s Backbone, also in Okanagan County. A 46-year-old woman suffered an injury at 6,100 feet above sea level. The AFRCC requested the NAS Whidbey Island SAR team because local SAR teams would not be available for several hours, according to the release.
The woman also was flown to St. Joseph Medical Center in stable condition.
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