Injured hiker rescued by helicopter from Mt. Si near North Bend

A helicopter crew rescued a hiker who fell about 50 feet from a rocky outcropping at the top of Mt. Si Saturday.

It was a major emergency response to get to the injured hiker. Rescue crews had to endure winter-like conditions, including snow and hail, in order to reach the victim.

Officials from Eastside Fire & Rescue reported a man in his 30s fell from Haystack Rock, which is the top layer of rock at the highest point of Mt. Si, at the end of the Mt. Si Trail.

Authorities said the hiker had no companions with him during the outing, other than his dog.

The fall happened on a slippery, snow-covered rock, leaving the man unconscious with critical injuries.

A helicopter rescue team airlifted an injured hiker from Mt. Si’s “Haystack Rock” on Saturday. (Photo: Eastside Fire & Rescue)

Luckily, another hiker in the area saw him at the base of the area where he fell, and he immediately called 911 for help.

The rescue involved volunteer crews from Seattle Mountain Rescue and King County Search & Rescue.

But it took them at least two hours to reach the man.

“It’s a scrabble field. There’s rock. It’s slippery. It was snowy. It was wet. It was slick,” Eastside Fire & Rescue Public Information Officer Catherine Imboden said. “So any number of things could have happened. He could’ve slipped. He could’ve fell.”

They called for a helicopter, but poor weather conditions prevented the aircraft from launching.

So they began efforts to carry the injured hiker down the rugged terrain in a rescue basket.

Eventually, the King County Sheriff’s “Guardian One” helicopter crew was able to launch. The chopper was finally able to take part in the effort to reach the hiker and evacuate him from the high-altitude climb.

“The hail, the snow, the wind was blowing. It was cold. This was an hours-long rescue,” Imboden said. “You’re dealing with a potentially hypothermic patient who has fallen and has critical injuries. It’s a very serious situation.”

Other emergency responders included medics from the Bellevue Fire Department and Eastside Fire & Rescue.

A video posted on X shows the moment the helicopter carried a rescuer and the hiker into the air and out of danger.

Other crew members watching the pair lifted to safety whooped with joy as they were flown off the mountain.

The hiker’s current condition has not been released.

In a social media post on X, Eastside Fire & Rescue officials released the following statement:

Trail rescues take an incredible amount of coordination between agencies and a massive effort from rescuers. Please be prepared for inclement weather when hiking in our region, as the weather can change quickly at high elevations.”

“We have hikers that get out there, and they’re not equipped. They don’t have the right gear, the right shoes. They’re not physically prepared. They’re not in shape, and unfortunately, we can see the results of that,” Imboden said. “We do live in rugged terrain. We do live in Alpine country. So just be prepared for the conditions that you might come across.”