August 2021

Last night sixteen volunteers from Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue (SCVSAR) Units, along with one King Co. SAR volunteer who was hiking in the area, assisted four Gold Bar firefighters in carrying an injured hiker down from near Lake Serene. The hiker was on the trail just below the lake and couldn’t walk on their own. The volunteers and firefighters carried up medical supplies, a litter, and a wheel to help bring the injured person back down the trail. This is a very rugged trail with many stairs, and even with a wheel, it is a lot of work lifting over every rock, root, and step. SCVSAR encourages all hikers to leave a good trip plan at home with someone reliable, who can report to 911 if you are overdue. We also encourage everyone to carry the “Ten Essentials”, so that if you are injured or lost, you can take care of yourself and stay safe and comfortable until help arrives. SCVSAR responds to many leg injuries that leave a person unable to walk and stranded several miles from the road, often without cell phone service. In our region, the weather changes quickly, and it can get cold and […]

Last Sunday morning, SAR received notification of a 911 call from the family member of a person who, along with their friend, was on Three Fingers Mountain trying to get to the old lookout. They had lost the trail the evening before in bad weather and spent the night on a ledge. They reported to the family member that they were very cold, everything was wet, and visibility was very limited. Members from our Everett Mountain Rescue Unit, along with members from Seattle Mountain Rescue and Tacoma Mountain Rescue, our SCVSAR 4X4 Team, and our SCVSAR Operations Support Unit, responded to the remote location. By use of electric mountain bikes for the first team, and a 6 wheel ATV and Jeep for the following teams, they were transported the 8 miles of closed road to the trailhead near Tupso Pass. The Mountain Rescue teams eventually located the subjects in the difficult weather conditions beyond Tin Can Gap. The stranded hikers were given some hot drinks and food, and additional dry clothes before being helped back to the trailhead and the waiting 4X4 teams, who returned them to the road and to their waiting family members. Our Operations Support Unit, who […]

Around 1 p.m. yesterday, Search and Rescue (SAR) responded to Barclay Lake for a 40-year-old hiker who suffered a serious ankle injury. SAR coordinated a 20 person pack out team to carry her back down to the trailhead. Once she arrived safely down the trail, she was transported by aid to Providence Regional Medical Center for treatment of her injury. These types of rescue missions occur regularly in the summer moths and they would not be possible without our on-call volunteers with Snohomish County Volunteer Search & Rescue. A HUGE thank you to every volunteer who responded to this mission and thank you to Sky Valley Fire Department for their assistance.

On August 2nd, the Snohomish County Sherriff’s Office (SCSO) honored Bill Quistorf with the following release: A huge congratulations and thank you to Chief Pilot Bill Quistorf for 20 years of dedicated service to the residents and visitors of Snohomish County. He has flown hundreds of life-saving rescue missions in the backcountry. We are very grateful to have such an experienced and knowledgeable pilot on our Search and Rescue team! Please join us in honoring Chief Pilot Quistorf for his 20 years of service to our community!