VERLOT — A 14-year-old Granite Falls boy is expected to recover after being critically injured in a 100-foot fall Sunday down the north side of Mount Pilchuck.
The boy was listed in stable condition Monday at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, officials said.
He fell about 1 p.m. Sunday from the base of the lookout that tops the 5,300-foot peak, east of Granite Falls.
Snohomish County Search &Rescue crews hoisted the boy off the mountain with a helicopter, police said. He was taken by aid car to an Everett hospital, where he was stabilized before being flown to Seattle.
The speed of the rescue efforts likely contributed to the boy’s survival, according to police.
It likely would have taken ground crews several hours to reach him if they had started from the trailhead. The hike, one of the most popular in the county, typically takes three to four hours round trip.
Passersby were attempting to help the boy when rescue crews arrived, police said. The area below the north side of the peak is covered in large rocks and boulders.
The sheriff’s helicopter rescue team was called out again to the mountain about 4 p.m. Sunday.
In an unrelated incident, another 14-year-old boy was carried off the Lake 22 trail after apparently suffering from a medical problem.
That boy also was expected to recover.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
