Lost hiker used trash bag to survive in rain and whiteout conditions

October 26, 2010 at 8:04 AM

Tacoma hiker, 50, missing since Saturday is found
A Tacoma woman reported missing Monday morning after failing to return from a day hike into the Lake Ingalls area near Cle Elum, Kittitas County, was found alive Tuesday afternoon.

By Seattle Times staff

A Tacoma woman reported missing Monday morning after failing to return from a Saturday hike was found alive Tuesday afternoon.

Natalya Manko was being flown out of the area by helicopter, according to the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office.

"She is alert and able to walk," according to a sheriff's office statement.

Manko, 50, is being treated at Central Washington Hospital for minor frostbite and hypothermia, according to a news release from Clayton Myers, undersheriff for Kittitas County.

Manko said she must have traveled too far north and missed the lake, which is near Cle Elum in Kittitas County. By the time she realized she was in the wrong place, the release said, bad weather and darkness were already setting in. Manko spent two days trying to find her way out of the basin, but with the limited visibility and snow in the area, she couldn't find a trail, the release said.

She always returned to the same area and used a large red trash bag to keep her dry, the release said.

On Tuesday, the Chelan County Helicopter crew spotted her tracks on the north side of Stuart Pass, and followed them until they located her.

Manko left for the hike on Saturday, and is said to be in excellent physical condition.

On Saturday, the weather turned bad in the late afternoon, with dropping temperatures, rain and snow. Sunday, snow and rain continued in higher elevations.

Sheriff's deputies and search-and-rescue personnel began searching Monday. The search was temporarily called off Monday evening because of waist-deep snow and white-out conditions. The search resumed Tuesday morning.

"We credit the success of this to the many volunteers and law enforcement agencies (Snohomish County, King County and Chelan County) who support search and rescue in our region, with special thanks to the Chelan County Aviation and the Red Cross," the release said.


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One of the comments:


She was found down Headlight Basin, but still above Ingalls Creek. She was trying to do the Long's Pass Ingalls Lake loop and apparently got disoriented in Headlight Basin.

It's rather miraculous that she survived, ill equipped as she was. Those of us who participated in the search yesterday encountered mid-winter conditions and fairly difficult travel.

The things she did right include:

- staying put
- keep her spirits up
- kept moving for warmth

The things she did wrong pretty much speak for themselves. You shouldn't hike in any area without navigational aids (and know how to use them!) and without adequate gear to survive a night or two in really nasty weather, however uncomfortably. An insulating layer and something to keep you dry just don't weight that much, and they can save your life.

But, a great ending and hats off Ms. Manko for her fortitude.


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