Skamania County skilled a sixfold improve in search and rescue operations through the first quarter of 2025 over the identical time interval final 12 months, the county sheriff’s workplace reported Tuesday.
13 rescue operations had been carried out from January by means of March of this 12 months versus two through the first quarter of 2024, stated Sgt. Ryan Taylor, Skamania County search and rescue coordinator.
The county is persistently within the high three counties in Washington with the best variety of search and rescue missions, Taylor stated, however this improve continues to be dramatic.
All of it comes right down to a scarcity of preparedness on the a part of folks venturing into the outside, Taylor stated.
“They think they can do it, but they’re not prepared for the weather, they’re not prepared for the difficulty,” Taylor stated. “These persons are not in good shape, and they think they can go hike a four, five or six-hour hike and they can’t do it. Being ill-prepared is probably the No. 1 cause of search and rescue for us.”
Taylor stated he might solely speculate as to why there’s been such a dramatic improve in Skamania County search and rescue missions this 12 months, however one concept is that many trails on the Oregon facet of the Columbia River are nonetheless closed after the mammoth 2017 Eagle Creek Hearth that burned 48,000 acres. He stated he expects much more hikers to cross the river sooner or later, looking for recreation in Washington.
Taylor estimated that 99 p.c of search and rescue operations in Skamania County are carried out on behalf of people that don’t reside within the county, together with overconfident guests from Seattle.
The county stretches throughout 1,600 sq. miles from the Columbia River to north of Mount St. Helens, in addition to a portion of Mount Adams, and 90 p.c of that land belongs to the U.S. Forest Service, Taylor stated. Nonetheless, the county has solely 12,000 residents, he stated.
“Only 10 percent of our county is privately owned,” Taylor stated. “That’s why people come here, to escape the cities, but then they get themselves in a predicament.”
These conditions actually stretch the county’s restricted sources, Taylor stated. Every operation can contain not solely volunteers from Skamania County Sheriff’s Workplace Search and Rescue but in addition volunteers with different regional groups, just like the Silver Star Rescue Staff and Volcano Rescue Staff. One search and rescue mission on Feb. 22 for an injured hiker on Desk Mountain concerned a dozen completely different companies, together with air assist from the Whidbey Island Naval Air Base and the U.S. Coast Guard. Harsh climate and deep snow made entry troublesome and personnel needed to are available on foot, Taylor stated.
Not all rescue missions are for hikers. With 28 sq. miles of water, there are many alternatives for boaters, paddlers and swimmers to get in a jam. Two of the 13 search and rescue operations concerned kayakers. One was pronounced lifeless on the scene.
Different operations contain automobiles like snowmobiles or vehicles and vans which have gone off-road, just like the household with an toddler that obtained caught within the snow off Forest Service Street 54. One lady with dementia wandered too far into the woods along with her canine, Taylor stated. Her canine got here residence however she didn’t, so deputies had been dispatched to do an preliminary search. That is frequent in instances involving lacking youngsters or aged in order that valuable time gained’t be misplaced whereas search and rescue volunteers, a lot of whom reside far outdoors Skamania County, are touring to the rescue website.
Just one incident was drug-related.
“One person decided to hike Dog Mountain with his friends, all on mushrooms,” Taylor stated.
That rescue required the efforts of Skamania County Sheriff’s Workplace Search and Rescue volunteers, as nicely Skamania County Emergency Medical Companies. It ended nicely, however each operation entails the potential for severe damage and dying — not solely for many who are rescued but in addition for many who are risking their lives to do the rescuing, Taylor stated.
“They are all volunteers. It’s amazing,” Taylor stated. “We could not do it without them. Many, many lives would be lost without them.”
