QUILCENE — A 33-year-old Quilcene man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle following a search-and-rescue mission in the Olympic Mountains.
The man had fallen down a slope Saturday afternoon on a trail near Lake Constance, southwest of Quilcene, according to a press release Monday from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
Additional information about the man’s condition Monday was not immediately available and the Navy did not identify him.
A female hiker who was with the man hiked 2½ hours down the trail to call for help, the release stated.
A search-and-rescue team from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island took off about 6:50 p.m. Saturday and had two crew members rappel from an MH-60s helicopter north of the hiker’s location because of low clouds. The crew members hiked more than an hour to reach the injured man, according to the press release.
Ground crews located the hiker after the helicopter returned from refueling, the release stated.
While the clouds receded over the man’s location, the thickness of the tree canopy made rescue difficult. But the ground crew helped to re-position the helicopter, and the man was hoisted aboard to be taken to Harborview, the release stated.
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island has conducted 33 total missions throughout the state this year, including 10 searches, 13 rescues and 10 medical evacuations, according to the release.
