Hiker vanished for days after solo trip in Washington. Then rescuers saw him waving
A hiker was rescued days after he didn’t return from a solo hike in Washington, deputies said.
The 26-year-old Seattle man left for a hike near Kelcema Lake on Tuesday, July 4, and was supposed to return home on Friday, July 7, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said in a July 11 Facebook post.
A “concerned friend” reported the man missing on Tuesday, July 11, deputies said.
After they searched the trailhead and found the man’s car, they sent a helicopter to search for him, the sheriff’s office said.
During the helicopter’s second circle of the area, rescuers aboard spotted “a long orange object about 3,700 feet up a steep drainage up the ridgeline,” deputies said.
They looked closer and realized the man was “waving to them,” the sheriff’s office said.
A rescuer was lowered to assess the man, who had a head and leg injury, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies said they hoisted the man from the area and took him to a hospital for treatment.
Kelcema Lake is near the St. Louis Falls and several mountains and is about 70 miles northeast of Seattle.
This story was originally published July 12, 2023 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Hiker vanished for days after solo trip in Washington. Then rescuers saw him waving."
