Lost hikers carry a stranded woman down on a homemade stretcher

Nine hikers who were themselves off course in the Enchantments found a woman who could not walk out, The Seattle Times reported. It was October 18. Her blood sugar had crashed, her blood pressure had dropped, and she could not see when she stood, so she sat beside the trail. The group included Whitworth University students Solomon Ward, 20, of British Columbia, and Nathan Elfers, 19, of Sumner, a former high-school track coach and his son, and Justin Timothy, a rope-rescue firefighter.

They gave her salt and water and sent an SOS. After more than 15 minutes, with the cold settling in, Timothy had them build a stretcher from hiking poles, bivy sacks, and rope, even though rescuers had asked the group to wait higher up. They carried her toward Snow Lake, where a helicopter could reach her. The party made the pavement near midnight.