[Dect6]

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/2016/01/23/hikers-rescued-near-rattlesnake-ridge/79253706/

[I'm Pysht]

Yikes!

[nordique]

"KING CO., Wash. — Two hikers stranded on Rattlesnake Ridge were rescued Saturday night after hiking up a trail and getting lost. Both men were uninjured. According to King Co. Marine Rescue, the men were not dressed appropriately for the high level of snow. King Co. Marine Rescue advised they were assisting in the rescue attempt at around 5 p.m. The hikers were rescued a little before 7 p.m. Rescuers used a military-grade Snocat to help rescue the men. Without the Snocat, the rescue could have taken up to four hours, King Co. Marine Rescue says. " http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/hikers-stranded-rattlesnake-ridge/

[spamfoote]

Good grief, what is wrong with people? Walk downhill, self rescue your stupid butts.

[nordique]

I was hoping someone had some additional information about why these two kids got into trouble and where they were. Rattlesnake Ridge covers a lot of territory and they were rescued by King County Maritime, using a military snocat? Where the heck were they? Up in the watershed? I assume they were newbies, in pullovers and jogging shoes, no packs, just phones.

[tigermn]

[Bernardo]

I randomly picked up two folks lost in the woods today. They had had a great day out together but were lost and weren't going to get out by dark. The difference between a good outing and something worse was pure luck. Very nice young people, maybe love had distracted them...

[Dect6]

Was Rattlesnake snowed in or something? Unless they went off path and needed the bob cat to plow a way thru it.

[boot up]

[Snowbrushy]

[cascadeclimber]

I'm glad everyone, especially the rescue group is okay. That's by far the most important thing. That said, I think this is the inevitable result of 'dumbing down' trails. Paved parking lots, paved roads, ubiquitous signage, fences, switchbacks, you name it. Some people become externally oriented for navigation and safety. They expect a sign or ranger to appear to tell them where not to go, where to go, how far they have to go, etc. And when it doesn't, they pull out a phone and call for it, instead of thinking. Perhaps the one sign that should be at trailheads goes something like this: "This trail accesses wild places. Knowledge of navigation, self-rescue, and snow travel (in winter) is required. Do not expect signs or directional assistance. Rescue, if required, may take many hours. Unmanaged danger, such as cliffs, falling trees and rocks, wild animals, etc. exist here. Do not proceed unless you are prepared."

[joker]

It's kind of hard to make any clear and confident pronouncements about exact cause w/o a bit more info - perhaps it was better that they called for help in time for a near-dark rescue versus finding a way to get harder to find more fully into nighttime (perhaps going hypothermic and getting themselves hurt as a result in the process). In any case, Rattlesnake Ledges, which we can hazard a guess was on the route of these folks, clearly shows the high demand in our increasingly populated area for no-permit-required buffed out hikes to nice views. It's no shock that some very small percent of the folks who head up there get into trouble. Less experienced hikers of course also get into trouble on less paved/signed/fenced (and of course the most horrific of all - switchbacked!!! ) hikes too, but with the #'s and relative experience of the masses hitting Rattlesnake I'd frankly expect a bit more SAR activity up there. I'm glad so many folks get out into the woods and hills there (though after joining some friends there once last summer, I'm not eager to go back and spend the day swimming upstream!!). Interesting that King County has a snow cat now - I wonder how often it will be helpful for SAR given the need for both road and snow.

[Snowbrushy]

[nordique]

I'm still mystified where that big snocat could go, in such a rescue situation. Were those being rescued up on the ledges? Or south of the education center? Or headed towards Cedar Butte?

[Kim Brown]

Nordique, the ridge runs west from the ledges; the high point is Snoqualmie Point. I don't recall how long the ridge is, but much of it was a logging road. The watershed is on the south slope. I was confused at first as well when they said "closed watershed," because I forget that just below the ridge - even just off the Ledges trail, is closed watershed.