Olympic National Park (WA)
Missing Hiker Found By Searchers

The search for 32-year-old hiker Tim Bailey came to a successful conclusion yesterday evening when he was hoisted from a drainage of the North Fork of the Sol Duc River by a U.S. Coast Guard rescue helicopter. Bailey sustained an injury to his left ankle but otherwise appeared to be in good condition. He was transported to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles for further examination. Bailey was reported overdue on Sunday evening when he failed to return from a planned three-day backpack trip in the Sol Duc area of the park. He left from the Aurora Ridge trailhead on Friday morning, planning to hike Aurora Ridge and Happy Lake Ridge and return by way of the North Fork of the Sol Duc River by Sunday afternoon. On Saturday, he fell approximately 150 feet down the side of a drainage, sustaining the injury to his left ankle. “He did all the right things,” said IC Kristin Kirschner. “Once he realized he would not be able to get out of the canyon under his own power, he stayed where he was, made himself as visible as possible, built a large signal fire, and waited for help.” Search efforts by park SAR teams began on Tuesday morning. On Wednesday afternoon, search teams on the ground reported hearing a sound similar to gunshots. The searchers were able to direct a helicopter to the location of the sound and at approximately 3:35 p.m. visual contact was made with Bailey. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter that was hoist capable was brought in at approximately 6 p.m. to hoist Bailey from the drainage. Approximately twenty personnel from Olympic National Park were involved in the search, aided by a helicopter from HiLine Helicopters Inc.