Rescue teams evacuate injured hiker from remote Lake Chelan trail

CHELAN — A coordinated multi-agency rescue effort on June 22 helped evacuate a 76-year-old man who fell approximately 100 feet from the Lakeshore Trail near Lucerne.

According to the Chelan County Sheriff's Office, RiverCom dispatch received a report shortly after noon that the man had fallen below the trail, suffered a head injury and was unresponsive to members of his hiking party.

Chelan County deputies responded from Manson aboard Marine 1, transporting personnel from Lake Chelan EMS and Manson Fire to the remote area. Upon arrival, responders met a National Park Service boat carrying EMS personnel from Stehekin, who had already located the injured hiker and begun treatment.

To remove the man safely from the steep terrain, members of the Chelan County Sheriff's Office High Angle Rope Rescue Team lowered him farther down the slope before carrying him to Marine 1. The victim was then transported across Lake Chelan to Lucerne, where he was transferred to an Airlift Northwest helicopter for transport to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Authorities said the man sustained multiple injuries in the fall, though responders did not believe the injuries were life-threatening at the time of the rescue.

Three women who were traveling with the victim were provided transportation back to their vehicle in Chelan.

The Sheriff's Office credited the successful rescue to the quick response by Stehekin EMS and cooperation among the agencies involved, including Manson Fire, Lake Chelan EMS, the National Park Service and Airlift Northwest.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media