Yakima Co. deputies say difficult search continues for missing hiker

Yakima County Sheriff says they are continuing to search for a hiker who called 911 and said he fell 1000 feet on Mt. Adams.

Deputies say the call came in Sunday from the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office. The hiker explained to dispatch he started walking back to his camp after reaching the summit and became disoriented, walking off a slope. He believed he had a head injury and had some memory loss and couldn't remember where he parked or where he was.

The department tried to use the cell phone to get his location, but unable to find an exact spot due to the limited number of cell towers in the area.

In the first attempted to drop a number of mountain rescue teams Sunday, a helicopter from the King County Sheriff’s Office hit some rocks where the landing skids were heavily damaged. The chopper and the team had to return to Yakima. The second team was able to land on the mountain. The weather conditions made the search difficult including heavy snow, rain and sleet. The search ended up being suspended Sunday.

On Monday, teams from Seattle Mountain Rescue, Tacoma M. R., Chelan County M.R., Everett M.R., Pacific Northwest M.R. (out of the Portland area), Klickitat County Sheriff’s SAR, The US Forest Service Mountain Climbing unit, Yakima County Sheriff CWMR unit and the US Army Air Ambulance “Dustoff” joined the search. One of the Tacoma Mountain Rescue members ended up getting injured due to a rock coming loose and starting a rock slide, he was transported off the mountain.

On Tuesday, 16 climbers started searching the area for clues and 11 ground units looked in the lower sections of the mountain. The warm weather on the mountain caused rocks slides and the steeper sections was suspended in the later afternoon.  At the end of the day, no evidence was found as to a possible location of the injured hiker.

Many attempts were made to call the injured subject.  His phone is going to voice mail. Crews will continue the search.