Dehydrated hiker airlifted from Mailbox Peak near North Bend
August 14, 2012 · 11:11 AM
A 30-year-old Bothell man was evacuated by helicopter from Mailbox Peak Saturday afternoon, Aug. 11, after he became too dehydrated to walk.
According to the King County Sheriff's report, the man was ascending the peak, and had reached 4,400 feet when he called 9-1-1 for help.
"He started to get leg cramps and it became too painful for him to walk," reported sheriff's spokeswoman Katie Larson.
Search and Rescue personnel located the man, and originally intended to simply assist him back down the peak, but he was unable to stand. The team called for additional help.
"Due to the distance of a possible pack-out, Guardian One was called," Larson said, and the man was taken by helicopter to Valley Camp, where Eastside Fire & Rescue medics examined him, and then transported him to the hospital.
Larson said this is the second Mailbox Peak rescue in a week. An earlier incident, Monday, Aug. 6, involved a group of seven hikers who were descending the peak in the dark, with no flashlights, and only the light of two cellphones to help them see. Search and Rescue came to the aid of the group with additional flashlights and assistance.
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