3 Hikers Rescued By Search Volunteers On Christmas Day

ISSAQUAH, WA - King County Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers spent Christmas Day giving out the gift of safety. About 50 volunteers participated in three different search-and-rescue missions on Christmas at Rattlesnake Ledge, Franklin Falls, and Mt. Si.

The first call came in around 2 p.m. from a group of hikers at Rattlesnake Ledge. A member of their hiking party became separated from the group. Nineteen volunteers arrived to search for the hiker. The search ended quickly, however: they found the hiker coming down the trail as they were headed up it.

At Franklin Falls, a group of search volunteers were out testing a rescue vehicle when they were flagged down by a group who reported that a hiker had been injured by falling ice at Franklin Falls. The volunteers hiked to his location, crossed through water, and assisted the man, who had an injured hip. More than 30 volunteers helped carry the man out of the area. They used a volunteer's rescue vehicle - a 1972 Pinzgauer - during the rescue.

During the Franklin Falls rescue, a call came in reporting a man lost on Mt. Si. The hiker had lost the trail as he was descending the mountain. Fourteen volunteers headed up Mt. Si and were able to locate the hiker and bring him down safely.

The volunteers are from the King County Search and Rescue Association, which assists the King County Sheriff's Office in all types of rescue situations. The volunteers contribute their own vehicles, time, and other resources to rescue efforts.

Image of Franklin Falls rescue via King County Sheriff's Office