A thru-hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail got caught up in a snow storm in Washington, so he sent an SOS from his Garmin inReach device. The Tacoma Mountain Rescue (TMR) Unit answered the call. Helicopters were grounded due to the storm, so the unit hiked about eight miles through the night to reach the man. He was hypothermic, but the team was able to warm him up. They stayed the night with him and hiked out with him in the morning.
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“Last night, [. . .] a Garmin inReach SOS came in from a man in his 20s at about 7,000 ft on the Pacific Crest Trail. His tent was being shredded by the storm, snow and high winds. He could no longer walk and was hypothermic,” TMR wrote in an Instagram post sharing the story. “[. . .] Our team of five reached the trailhead at 9 PM and hiked about 8 miles through the night. They got to him around 1:30 AM in 35 mph winds. Once there, they rewarmed and stabilized him and got him into a shelter. Two of our members spent the rest of the night in a two-person tent with him, keeping him warm with their own body heat. This morning we walked him out.”
TMR says this mission is a good reminder of why a satellite messenger belongs in your pack, especially in remote areas.
See photos from the rescue of a Pacific Crest Trail hiker and an interview with first responders below.
Header stock image by Jared Alden/Getty Images
