Injured Oregon Hiker In Remote Overnight Chelan County Rescue

An out of state hiker is safe after being rescued from the Chelan County back country southwest of Leavenworth. 

A total of 13 responders reached the injured man after spending hours of maneuvering on an overgrown trail in rough terrain.  

Emergency Management Sergeant Jason Reinfeld says he first tried to line-up a helicopter for the rescue. 

“I did request that, just due to how far out it was and potentially how bad the trail was, to ease the strain on volunteers, potential injuries just doing a litter rescue on that bad of a trail,” said Reinfeld. 

The 54-year-old hiker from Bend, Oregon is now recovering from a dislocated shoulder. 

He was hiking with two 32-year-old men from the United Kingdom. They were not injured. 

The rescue started Tuesday afternoon and wasn't completed until 5am Wednesday. 

The hikers were in a highly remote area on Jack Creek Trail near Stuart Pass. 

Reinfeld says they were fortunate to have one of the most recent I-Phones that have the ability to shift over to a satellite text service in areas where there’s no cell phone service. Their location was pinpointed through a signal on the satellite service. 

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the distress call just after 2pm Tuesday. 

Reinfeld said a collaborative team effort was quickly organized between the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue operation along with Chelan County Volunteer Search and Rescue, Chelan County Mountain Rescue, and Cascade Medical Center. 

Reinfeld had high praise for the volunteers who worked overnight in highly challenging conditions.