09/26/2026
✏️ *** Update: We've corrected this post. The tent didn't collapse. It was blown off the mountain by the wind. *** Friday night, TMR was called to Lewis County after a Garmin inReach SOS came in from a man in his 20s at about 7,000 ft on the Pacific Crest Trail. Caught in a storm on an exposed ridge, he had taken his tent out of his pack to set it up when the wind blew it away. With snow and winds gusting to 60 mph, he was left with no shelter. He could no longer walk and was hypothermic.
The storm had also grounded the helicopters, so the only way to reach him was on foot.
Our team of five reached the trailhead at 9 PM and hiked about 8 miles through the night. They got to him around 1:30 AM. He was sheltering in a clump of trees with a soaked sleeping bag. The team rewarmed and stabilized him and got him into a shelter. Two of our members spent the rest of the night in a two-person tent with him, keeping him warm with their own body heat.
This morning we walked him out. Members of Pierce County Explorer Search and Rescue hiked 5 miles up to meet us, and they brought hot cocoa. ☕ Thank you, ESAR!
This mission is a good reminder of why a satellite messenger belongs in your pack. His SOS got help moving hours before anyone would have known he was in trouble.
If you'd like to support or join Tacoma Mountain Rescue, visit 👉 www.tacomamountainrescue.org
Alternatively, at time of posting, the team is actively rewarming at the Packwood Brewing Co. if you want to say hi.
