Hiker found safe in remote area north of Index

INDEX — Searchers found a hiker safe and healthy Sunday afternoon after she spent the night lost in the wilderness near Blanca Lake.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call about the missing 18-year-old shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday.

She had been hiking with two friends, who decided to enter a snowfield, sheriff’s Lt. David Bowman said in a press release. The trio did not appear to have been equipped for the backcountry or snow conditions. The area, in eastern Snohomish County north of Index, is mountainous and had no cellphone coverage.

The woman decided to head back to the trailhead instead of accompanying the friends into the snowfield, Bowman said. On the way back, she got off the trail and became lost.

On Sunday, an Everett Mountain Rescue member located a footprint consistent with the missing hiker’s, Bowman said. That led members of Everett Mountain Rescue and Seattle Mountain Rescue to a steep area where they found the woman.

She reunited with family at the trailhead and went home after being checked by medics.

Separately, search crews used the SnowHawk10 helicopter on Saturday evening to rescue a 59-year-old man from Mount Pilchuck who suffered a possible broken leg and back injuries after falling more than 20 feet, the sheriff’s office reported. They flew him to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.

The sheriff’s office recommends that all hikers plan ahead and stay together during trips into the wilderness. The Washington Trails Association and other groups recommend bringing 10 essential items on every hike, including a map, compass, water, food, flashlight and first-aid kit.

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