Hikers stung by wasps, caught in frigid rainstorm before rescue on Pacific Crest Trail
Three hikers became stranded on the Pacific Crest Trail in Oregon after a frigid rainstorm swept through the area, officials said.
The group was almost 6 miles into their Aug. 17 hike when it started to rain. The hikers became drenched as they walked from the Timberline Lodge near Mount Hood National Forest, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.
The temperature at the high altitude plunged to 38 degrees as the rain came down, officials said.
A 19-year-old woman who was part of the group was showing signs of hypothermia, and a 12-year-old boy was stung by wasps so many times he couldn’t walk, the sheriff’s office said.
The final member of the group, a 49-year-old man, called for help at about 1 a.m. He was able to give search and rescue officials a GPS location from his cell phone.
“Three separate teams entered the field; searchers were prepared with wheeled litters in case the hikers were unable to walk out under their own power,” officials said in a news release. “The first team located the trio of hikers at about 6 a.m.”
The search and rescue team helped the hikers leave the trail. Each of the hikers were able to walk on their own, the sheriff’s office said. They were safely back to their lodge by 11:30 a.m.
“This successful mission serves as a reminder: Weather conditions on the mountain can change rapidly in just a few short hours, even in mid-summer,” officials said. “It was roughly 40 degrees on the mountain, with strong winds, fog and mist greeting searchers as they deployed into the field.”
The sheriff’s office did not identify the hikers or explain their relationship.
The Pacific Crest Tail is a 2,650-mile trail that weaves through the Sierra and Cascades mountains in California, Oregon and Washington.
About 200 people attempt to hike the entirety of the Pacific Crest Trail annually, starting at the Mexican border in April and ending at the Canadian border in September, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Hikers stung by wasps, caught in frigid rainstorm before rescue on Pacific Crest Trail."