High school senior ends up stuck on steep, rugged mountain, WA rescuers say
.png "Mount Si is pictured from a drone on May 26. Rescuers helped a teen boy off the mountain.")
A teen hiker ended up stuck on a steep and rugged mountain in Washington, prompting a rescue.
Rescuers got a call at about 2:25 p.m. Monday, May 26, about the boy on Mount Si, Seattle Mountain Rescue President Doug McCall told McClatchy News by phone on May 30.
Three high school seniors set out to hike the mountain that afternoon, but one boy got stuck on the Haystack, which McCall said requires Class 3 scrambling up a rock formation at the top of the mountain.
“Haystack is 150 feet of a near-vertical face with EXPOSURE, meaning there’s nothing beneath you or around you to break your fall,” a hiker wrote in a trip report for the Washington Trails Association.
McCall said he didn’t know how much hiking experience the teens had, but one of them got scared on their way up after slipping and couldn’t make it down on his own.
He was able to sit in a safe spot while the other boys went down the Haystack and called for help, he said.
Multiple teams set out to help the boy while McCall said he used a drone to pinpoint where the teen was on the mountain.
Drone footage shows rescuers reach the boy and use a rope system to help walk him down the steep mountain.
No one was injured, McCall said.
McCall also said it took rescuers about an hour to hike up the mountain to reach them. Everyone was taken back to the trailhead at about 6:30 p.m.
Now rescuers want to remind hikers to prepare for any situation by bringing the 10 essentials:
- Map
- Compass
- First aid kit
- Fire starter
- Sun protection
- Knife
- Extra clothing (not cotton if in the Pacific Northwest)
- Extra food and water
- Head lamp
- Water proof shelter
An emergency rescue blanket, for example, can be used as a shelter, McCall said.
Rescues in Washington are free because search and rescue teams are made up of highly trained volunteers, McCall said.
The teams are funded from donations, not part of the sheriff’s office.
Mount Si is about an 8-mile round trip hike with an elevation gain of 3,150 feet, according to Washington Trails Association.
This story was originally published May 30, 2025 at 6:14 PM with the headline "High school senior ends up stuck on steep, rugged mountain, WA rescuers say."
