HOODSPORT — A 30-year-old man was rescued by helicopter Saturday evening after falling more than 1,200 feet into a ravine on Mount Ellinor in Olympic National Forest earlier in the day, according to a press release from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
The man had fallen down a ravine near the top of the 5,952-foot mountain earlier in the day and his hiking partner was unable to find or contact him, the release said.
The hiking partner was able to contact 9-1-1 then hiked down the trail to meet the responders, said Tom Mills, deputy public affairs officer for NAS Whidbey Island on Tuesday.
The naval air station was notified sometime after 4:30 p.m. that one of its crews may be needed, he said.
Shortly after 6:20 p.m., a search and rescue crew launched from the Whidbey Island station and contacted the Mason County Search and Rescue team that was on the scene.
The Mason County team was searching on foot and the naval crew was searching by helicopter, Mills said.
After finding no trace of the man near the top of the mountain, the crew began searching at the bottom of a large avalanche runout more than 1,000 feet down slope from the top of the mountain, according to the release. Then searchers spotted a flashing light near a boulder field just below the avalanche runout and more than 1,200 feet from where the man initially fell.
A crew member was lowered from a helicopter and the pair was hoisted back for the flight to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, arriving about 7:45 p.m., the release stated. The man was suffering from significant abrasions, hypothermia and a broken arm.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at brian.gawley@peninsuladailynews.com.
