Two hikers were rescued from unexpected snow in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness on Sunday, the Kittitas County sheriff’s office said.
The pair of hikers were near Peggy’s Pond Trail when they texted 911 that they were “lost, wet, and cold with no shelter but a blue plastic tarp,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. They couldn’t find their way off the snowy mountainside.
The trail had become covered with snow brought along by rapidly changing weather and cold temperatures, the Seattle Mountain Rescue said in a Facebook post.
Rescue teams “hiked 5 miles through challenging conditions” where they found the hikers uninjured, said King County Explorer Search and Rescue, which participated in the effort.
The hikers “did everything right,” Seattle Mountain Rescue said. They called for help as soon as they realized they were in danger and sheltered in place while rescuers set out to find them.
Officials said hikers should always carry 10 essentials, especially when mountain conditions can change fast during fall weather.
The Cascades and other passes should expect significant snowfall on Saturday and Sunday. Higher passes like Paradise could see more than a foot of snow.
