Coast Guard rescues 3 stranded hikers from cliffs in 2 states

Coast Guard members from Air Facility North Bend, Ore., stand with two individuals who were rescued near Cascade Head, Ore., Aug. 5, 2019. The hikers became stranded on rocks 40-feet above the shoreline and were hoisted in the aircraft and brought to the air station. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Coast Guard crews rescued three stranded hikers Monday night in two separate cases in Oregon and Washington. During the first rescue, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Bend, Oregon, command center were notified by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department at approximately 9:15 p.m. that two men were stranded on rocks about 40 feet above the shore near Cascade Head.

The command center diverted an aircrew from Coast Guard Air Facility North Bend to assist local authorities. At 10 p.m., the aircrew arrived on scene and deployed their rescue swimmer to attend to the hikers. At 10:20 p.m. the aircrew hoisted the hikers into the helicopter and transported them to Newport Airport. Both men reported no medical concerns. 

"Our crew overcame a challenging 100-foot hoist in low illumination to return both men safely to their families," said Lt. Ryan Brown, MH-65 pilot for Air Facility North Bend.

During the second rescue, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound command center received a report from a good Samaritan, who heard a female hiker calling out for help near Third Beach in La Push, Washington. The hiker became stranded on a rock after a tidal change submerged the hiker's way out.

At 9:15 p.m., Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles diverted an MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew already in the air returning from another agency assist search and rescue case of a missing paddle boarder on Mountain Lake, Orcas Island. The rescue helicopter crew conducted a brief landing and refuel at Air Station Port Angeles prior to their transit through foggy weather conditions en route to the stranded hiker.

At approximately 9:30 p.m. Coast Guard Station Quilayute River launched a 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew to help guide the helicopter to the hiker. When the boatcrew arrived on scene, they confirmed the hiker was stranded and close to the cliffs.

The MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew arrived on scene at 10:45 p.m. and lowered a rescue swimmer. The aircrew hoisted and transported the hiker to Fairchild Airport, where Sector Puget Sound coordinated transportation of the stranded hiker with Clallam County back to their camp site in Forks, Washington. The female hiker reported no injuries.

"We managed very challenging weather conditions and darkness to get our rescue swimmer safely to the hiker stranded on a rocky outcropping," said Lt. Darin Coleman, MH-65 pilot for Air Station Port Angeles. "We had great coordination and communication with the Motor Life Boat crew to get the hiker safely to shore."