Hikers safe and sound after spending two nights lost in Enchantments

Two young hikers are safe and sound after spending two nights lost in the wilderness of the Enchantments near Leavenworth.

Hope Ryan (21) and Kristen Jost (23) were found by a search and rescue helicopter Monday evening near Earle Lake in relatively good health, having had enough food with them to ration out over the three days.

The two had set out early Saturday morning with the intention of doing the 23-mile Enchantments Loop Trail as a day hike. Their parents became worried when they didn’t hear from them Saturday evening at their expected finishing time, and after not hearing from them overnight, traveled to Leavenworth the next morning.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office sent a search team into the area Sunday morning, but did not locate them on the trail. Interviews with trail users revealed that Ryan and Jost had last been seen Saturday afternoon.

“We knew something was up, they should have been on the trail, they should have been seen by people,” said Chelan County Sheriff’s Sergeant Kent Sisson. “We knew they must have been off-route.”

Furthermore, when they heard that Ryan and Jost had last been seen at 3:30 p.m. at Aasgard Pass, it was apparent the two hikers had not been able to beat the clock and complete the hike before sundown on Saturday.

“We knew right away they were way behind schedule on getting out the other 12 miles to Snow Lake,” Sisson said.

Then Sunday evening, one couple who had been near Earle Lake — 2.5 miles off the main trail — reported seeing the two missing hikers on the opposite side of the lake, too far away to communicate. They said they found it odd that two people would be in such a desolate area of the Enchantments, but noted that the hikers appeared to be all right.

Monday morning, Chelan County sent additional teams and a Snohomish County Search and Rescue helicopter out, focusing on Earle Lake. After a full day of searching, the two hikers were located and brought back to Leavenworth in the helicopter.

Ryan and Jost told the search teams that they had become lost and decided to stay put in one place to wait for rescue.

“They turned left to the north when they should have actually made a right-hand turn on the main trail, and that put them up in this area, which is not well-traveled,” Sisson explained. “They got up there in the dark on Saturday and realized they were lost, and just didn’t feel like they had the physical ability to backtrack out.”

The two women had food with them that they managed to make last the entire time, and they drank water from Earle Lake. They did not have a tent with them, as they had not planned to spend the night, but they did have several warm layers of clothing.

Upon returning to town, Ryan and Jost were given a medical examination and did not need to be hospitalized. They spent Monday night in Leavenworth with their families.

Sisson said the sheriff’s office commonly gets reports of overdue hikers in the Enchantments because it is a very long and grueling hike that people routinely underestimate.

“The vast majority resolve themselves — people are just 4 to 6 hours late getting out because they underestimated,” he said.

This year, however, with coronavirus forcing people to take up socially distanced activities, Sisson said more and more people appear to be attempting ambitious hikes that they are not prepared for, and then running into trouble.

“It’s very underestimated, that trail, and this year especially. I relate it to COVID — people just aren’t doing their normal traveling, and so we’re seeing many more search and rescues related to people out hiking trails who don’t necessarily do that routinely,” he said.

Camping in the Enchantments requires a permit, and only a fixed number of permits are given out each year through a lottery system. The alternative is doing the trail in a single day, but this should only be attempted “by a very strong hiker,” as “seeing all of the lakes this way is so grueling it borders on the impossible,” according to the Washington Trails Association.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office is reminding hikers to always make sure they have emergency supplies in case a hike takes longer than expected.

“It’s just all about preparedness and knowing your ability … you have to know the trail, you have to know your ability, GPS, have a map, always have a pack full of the 10 essentials to get you through a situation,” he said. “Because you might think you’re day-hiking, but it turns into an overnight or two overnights.”

The 10 essentials items list includes resources such as food, water and a water filtration system, shelter, warm clothing, a first aid kit, and the means to make a fire — though in the Enchantments, campfires are forbidden.

Sisson said there are also beacon devices that can allow people to make emergency signals if they are hiking in an area without phone reception.

“Prepare, know your ability, don’t take trails you’re unfamiliar with, and have some way to communicate when you get in trouble,” he advised.

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