Washington Avalanche Kills Two Hikers, One Injured
Two hikers were killed last week near Snoqualmie Pass when an avalanche struck the area after two days of intense winter storms. The 33 year old woman and 38 year old man, both well-prepared, experience climbers, were hiking near Snow Lake but never returned when they were supposed to. The father of one of the hikers drove up to the area, found their car and notified search and rescue that they had not returned. Rescue teams found the injured hiker, the husband of the woman who died on Tuesday morning.
“When you get a layer of fresh snow over old, and add rain to it — it makes for some really dangerous conditions,” said Ranger District spokesman Sonny Paz.
The search and rescue crews in the area were working long hours this last week. Several other groups of hikers and bow hunters were lost in the storm and required rescue. This is a sad reminder that outdoor activities, especially in these winter months can be very treacherous, and sometimes deadly. Make sure to be prepared as best you can with safety and survival equipment and make sure to notify others of your plans for travel and return.
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December 31st, 2007 at 12:47 am
[...] Reiser along with the other five outdoorsmen and women who have died this season (read blog “Washington Avalanche Kills Two Hikers, One Injured“) in the northwest were all considered experienced outdoors people who were well-prepared for hiking in the area. They had the right equipment and took the right survival precautions before they left (read blog “Lost Arizona Hikers Prompt Sheriff to Send Reminder About Hiking Safety” for more on this). Experts are saying that what the deceased lacked was the ability to recognize dangerous conditions and stay away from them. “All the people who have been caught this year have gone out when the forecast hazard was high or extreme,” said Paul Baugher, director of the Northwest Avalanche Institute. “They have not interpreted the weather correctly or decided they could beat it.” [...]