Overnight mission rescues injured hiker in Enchantments

LEAVENWORTH — An injured 21-year-old male from SeaTac was rescued from the Enchantments Tuesday morning.

According to Chief of Special Operations Ryan Moody, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) received multiple reports the day prior from hikers in the area who heard a male yelling for help. Without a specified location or contact with the injured hiker, Moody told Ward Media that the remote rescue was difficult to coordinate quickly and safely.

“This one took us a while to figure out what was actually going on,” said Moody.

One hiker was able to locate the injured party on Aasgard Pass at approximately 8 p.m. Monday night. CCSO sent out two Chelan County Mountain Rescue (CCMR) volunteers to the top of Aasgard Pass via the U.S. Army Air Ambulance Detachment Yakima (Yakima Dustoff). At approximately 11 p.m., the volunteers found the hiker with an ankle injury about 900 vertical feet up from Colchuck Lake, at the base of Dragontail Peak, according to an updated report from CCSO. Due to the proximity of the cliffs at night, the helicopter did not attempt to hoist the hiker out.

The volunteers stayed with the hiker until the Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team was able to hoist the hiker out around 9 a.m. the next day. According to the CCSO update, two more volunteers assisted the patient’s hiking partner out of the Wilderness. Four more CCMR volunteers stood by at the Leavenworth Fish Hatchery in case more personnel were needed to move the patient to a better location for the hoist.

CCSO said the hiker had attempted to ascend Aasgard Pass in the wrong area; the common route is along the north edge of the pass.

“Know where you're going and be prepared for where you're going,” said Moody, advising hikers to bring proper equipment, dress appropriately, and hike in areas that match with their level of expertise.

Moody told Ward Media that search and rescue calls have been much higher than previous years, attributing it to a combination of the volume of unprepared hikers and increased access to satellite texting. Because of this, Moody said that CCSO has received more nonemergent calls asking for help out – typically as night approaches – requiring their team to be more discerning with responses, weighing the seriousness of the emergency and the safety of its responders.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media