This news story about a solo backpacker who was rescued in Olympic National Park was adapted from a September 20, 2021, National Park Service press release. You can read the original release here.
A backpacker, who had been missing for a week, was rescued in Olympic National Park on Sunday evening, September 19, 2021.
After a family remember reported the backpacker, a 26-year-old man named Jerren Fisher, as overdue, the search-and-rescue operation to locate him began on Thursday, September 16.
According to the National Park Service, Fisher has a wilderness permit for September 8 to 12 and planned on camping at Enchanted Valley, Marmot Lake, Camp Pleasant and Sundown Lake, one of the park’s most remote and scenic areas.
He had stated his plans return to this vehicle via the popular Graves Creek Trailhead after his solo backpacking trip. Olympic National Park rangers found his vehicle at the Graves Creek Trailhead and immediately started a search.
Overdue Solo Backpacker Rescued in Olympic National Park
Search-and-rescue teams hiked into the Olympic National Park wilderness on Thursday afternoon. They started at the Graves Creek Trailhead in the Quinault Rain Forest and moved toward Sundown Lake, following Fisher’s itinerary in reverse. They also started a search from the North Fork Skokomish Trail.
Additionally, National Park Service staff who were already in the wilderness area offered helped searching between Marmot Lake and Camp Pleasant.
Despite their efforts being inhibited by rainy, windy and cold weather, their search continued through the weekend. The storm system that moved across the Olympic Peninsula during the weekend made searching with aviation resources impossible until Sunday evening.
Fortunately, the National Park Service search-and-rescue teams were able to make voice contact with Fisher at 4:36 p.m. on Sunday. When there was a break in the weather, assistance was requested from the U.S. Coast Guard to determine the specific location of Fisher.
At 7:16 p.m., the teams spotted fisher on a hillside in the Seven Stream drainage, which is just north of Six Ridge, the National Park Service said.
A large Coast Guard helicopters from Astoria, Oregon hoisted the missing backpacker in Olympic National Park and flew him to the Olympia Regional Airport. He was in stable condition and taken to the hospital for further medical evaluation and care.
The National Park Service extended a grateful thanks to the “volunteers from Olympic Mountain Rescue and Tacoma Mountain Rescue who aided the National Park Service in the search; to the Washington State Search and Rescue Planning Unit and North Cascades National Park for their support; and to the United States Coast Guard for their assistance in this successful outcome.”
NPS Urges Hikers to Plan and Prepare
Visitors are urged to plan ahead, hike smart, pack the Ten Essentials, and have an emergency plan—even for a short day hike in Olympic National Park. Hiking is a popular activity through the fall at Olympic and visitors are reminded to be prepared for changing weather conditions that can also affect rescue efforts.
Consider learning CPR and basic wilderness first aid, especially if you are planning to hike in the backcountry.