GRANITE FALLS, Wash. (AP) — A search-and-rescue team found two hikers stranded in whiteout conditions Monday northeast of Seattle on Three Fingers mountain in the Cascades.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue unit was alerted around 11 a.m. Sunday of the two hikers stuck at 6,800 feet (2,072 meters) on the mountain, The Daily Herald reported.
They couldn’t climb down because of heavy snow, according to the sheriff’s office.
A helicopter dropped crews partly up the mountain around 4:30 p.m. Sunday when visibility allowed. The teams then hiked for hours in the snow before they found the two hikers and helped them down.
The sheriff’s office search and rescue unit recommends people wait until next year to do that hike.
“In the event of an injury or emergency on the mountain, it is estimated to take rescue crews at least a day to be able to access the location due to the current conditions” the rescue unit said.
