Injured hiker airlifted from Mount Si after 50-foot fall

A hiker who fell about 50 feet near the summit of Mount Si was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after rescuers battled cloud cover and winter-like weather on the mountain’s exposed upper slopes.

The fall happened near Haystack Rock, which the Washington Trails Association describes as the true peak of Mount Si. That section has no formal trail to the top and requires a scramble over talus, a terrain that can turn treacherous fast when rock, wind and visibility all worsen at once. Officials said the hiker may have suffered a head injury.

Crews initially could not reach the victim because of cloud cover and poor conditions at about 4,100 feet. Wind, snow, clouds and hail complicated the response on the mountain, about 35 miles east of Seattle, where weather can shift quickly even as the trail below remains busy with day hikers.

The King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, Guardian One, joined Seattle Mountain Rescue, Bellevue Fire Department medics and Eastside Fire & Rescue in the rescue effort. After the hiker was reached, the patient was flown off the mountain and transported to Harborview Medical Center.

Mount Si is one of the region’s most heavily used hikes. Its popular trail runs about 8 miles roundtrip and climbs 3,150 feet, a steep gain that puts hikers in changing conditions long before the summit area. The Washington Trails Association says more than 100,000 people hike Mount Si every year, making the mountain both a local landmark and a frequent site for trail emergencies.

Eastside Fire & Rescue warned that high-elevation weather can change rapidly, a reminder that the final approach near summit features is not the same as the lower trail. On Mount Si, the combination of loose footing, exposed rock and sudden weather can leave rescuers with little room to maneuver and hikers with little margin for error.