PCT Hiker Rescued From Winter Storm Near Goat Rocks

A hiker was rescued from the Pacific Crest Trail in Lewis County, Washington on Sunday amid a winter storm with snow and 60mph wind gusts. Photos from the rescue place the operation in the Goat Rocks area.

The hiker, who has been described as a man in his 20s, was camped at roughly 7,000 feet with the storm causing his tent to collapse. According to a Facebook post by the rescuing organization, Tacoma Mountain Rescue (TMR), the hiker “could no longer walk and was hypothermic.” Rescuers were alerted  to the emergency when he sent a Garmin inReach SOS on Saturday night. 

Helicopters were grounded because of the storm, so a team of five TMR rescuers hiked 8 miles through the night to reach the stranded hiker’s location around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Photo: Tacoma Mountain Rescue

They were able to rewarm and stabilize the hiker and got him into a tent. Two of the rescuers stayed overnight with him in the tent to rewarm him with their body heat, and walked out with him on Sunday morning. Rescuers from a serate SAR organization, Pierce County Explorer Search and Rescue, met the party about five miles from the trailhead to assist and provide hot chocolate. 

The weather is changing, and especially at high elevations in the mountains of northern Washington, harsh conditions and early-season snowstorms are a possibility that all hikers still out on the trail should prepare for. That includes carrying appropriate gear, plenty of food, and, ideally, a GPS device for emergency communication.

“This mission is a good reminder of why a satellite messenger belongs in your pack,” TMR wrote. “His SOS got help moving hours before anyone would have known he was in trouble.”

Featured image: Tacoma Mountain Rescue