Hiker trapped in boulder field after 100-foot plunge off cliff, Washington rescuers say

A hiker plunged 100 feet off of a Washington cliff and into a large boulder field — and her rescue took nearly 24 hours, officials said.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that a 33-year-old hiker was seriously injured and went into hypothermic shock while waiting for help after she fell from a cliff on Thursday.

“The male who was with her was able to crawl down to her, made her as comfortable as possible, used an emergency app to get coordinates for her location and then hiked approximately four miles out to their vehicle where he called 911 for help,” the sheriff’s office said Monday.

Dozens of volunteers and numerous rescue tactics were initiated over nearly 24 hours to help the stranded hiker. The sheriff’s office dispatched a helicopter to the area, but the hiker was in a steep drainage area surrounded by very tall trees, officials said.

The difficult location forced the team to drop in two rescuers about 850 feet away, and they hiked for two hours before reaching the woman, the sheriff’s office said.

Three teams of search and rescue volunteers also worked on the ground to establish a clear route and help deliver gear, officials said. They created a “rigging system to lower the litter and packaging gear down to the patient’s location and then raise her out of the drainage,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The patient was placed in the litter and lowered 80 feet with three attendants on one system, transferred to another system, and then raised 200 feet with two attendants,” the sheriff’s office said. “The subject was then lowered three more pitches: 190 feet, 190 feet, and 245 feet, which brought her to a semi-level terrain.”

A new team of volunteers then carried her about a quarter of a mile to an opening where the helicopter was finally able to hoist her up and take her to a medical center for treatment.

“This mission lasted nearly 24 hours and involved dozens of volunteer rescuers who donated their time in rough terrain and poor weather conditions,” the sheriff’s office said.

This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Hiker trapped in boulder field after 100-foot plunge off cliff, Washington rescuers say."