Monday night, November 2, 2015, local Search and Rescue crews performed a solemn recovery mission in the Little Si hiking area of Mount Si near downtown North Bend.
According to King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Sergeant Cindi West, at 7:55PM on November 2nd they received a call from a man who told the 9-1-1 dispatcher that he had fallen off of a trail and was injured.
Sgt. West explained the injured hiker was disoriented and not sure where he was, but dispatchers were able to pinpoint his location to the Little Si area. King County Search and Rescue crews then responded to the popular hiking spot.
They found the man about two miles up the mountain and off the trail about 300 feet, in an area described as very steep and requiring technical rescuers to access the location.
When found the injured hiker was unresponsive. Sgt. West said CPR was performed until Eastside Fire and King County Medics arrived, but unfortunately resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. The 63-year old man from the Renton area was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The King County Sheriff’s Office SAR Duty Officer and 33 volunteer members from Seattle Mountain Rescue and King County Explorer Search and Rescue responded for the mission, eventually bringing him the hiker off the mountain.
According to Washington Trails Association, the Little Si Trail is a moderately graded, nearly 5 mile hike with relatively steep inclines ‘bookending’ the trail. Little Si is the small rocky bluff (highest point 1550 ft.) next to Mount Si and is considered less challenging than the nearby Mount Si trail.
Comments
Could we hear where this gentleman fell? It would be good information to know for all hikers. Thank you. Always a horrible thing to hear. We living near think about these hikers for many years . Thank you SAR.
About two miles up, as the story says. Stay on the trail and you’ll be fine. Knowing where he fell is not good info for hikers. It only encourages those with morbid fascinations, Again, stay on the trail and you’ll be fine. An strong understanding of the outdoors also helps as well as being equipped with the Ten Essentials.
RIP. When did S&R find him? And what is the reason that caused the death?