Exactly a week before Sugai gone missing a 74 year old women gone missing picking mushrooms, she was found 3 days later alive but very weak.
This kind of thing happen all the time here. Here is a story about this area to put it in perspective
STEVENSON, Wash. -- It's only mid-May and the Skamania County Sheriff's Office has racked up more than 30 search and rescue calls since Jan. 1.
It's not a record year, but Undersheriff Pat Bond says it's overwhelming.
Bond is pleading hikers, climbers and kayakers to think ahead and prepare for the worst before they go play outdoors.
"It's beautiful and it's dangerous," Bond told KATU's Chris Liedle. "There are places here if you make the wrong step, it might be the last step."
Skamania County stretches 1,600 square miles, larger than state of Rhode Island. It's home to Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and miles of the Columbia River Gorge -- beautiful, yet unforgiving country.
"It's an inherently risky thing to hike in these beautiful areas," Bond said. "There's cliffs, there's rocks, there's trees, so you have to take some of that risk on yourself."
Since Jan. 1, Skamania County deputies have responded to seven search missions, ten recreational accidents, more than 18 overdue hikers and received around a dozen missing persons reports. A handful of them suffered injuries, a few did not survive.
"This year, with those numbers combined, it's overwhelming for resources," Bond said.
He said search and rescue calls aren't cheap, either. A 6-hour search can cost taxpayers $25,000. Utilizing a helicopter costs another $1,400 per hour, if it's privately-owned. Call in a military helicopter, and taxpayers are looking at twice that.
For comparison, Bond says a search and rescue call in 2012-2013 cost $122,000.
"It goes back to the preparation," he said. "The planning: if you know where you're going, you've researched it, you told somebody, it cuts down on the response times."
Response times are crucial when searching for a missing person or rescuing an injured kayaker. Bond says his force is often stretched thin when a call for help comes in.
"If a south county SAR deputy gets called to a missing skier on St. Helens, we have to call in an another deputy to cover while they search, which could take hours," Bond said, adding he is currently understaffed, down six deputies.
Many counties in Washington and Oregon, including Skamania County, partner with specialized non-profit, or volunteer-based search and rescue teams.
Tom McDowell says it's easy to get lost on trails. He's with the Volcano Rescue Team (VRT) and is often called in to help Skamania County deputies.
"The story is pretty much the same," McDowell said of each rescue. "The vast majority go for a day hike, and they lose their way and they're not prepared to be out there."
McDowell and his team are boots on the ground, hiking in poor weather, in snow, rain, fog to rescue lost or injured adventurers.
"It's part of the job," McDowell said. "It's being able to find people get them safe without putting ourselves, our lives in danger."
Understanding why there have been so many calls in a six week period is a challenge. McDowell says the weather is one factor.
"We had a lot of nice warm weather earlier in the season and normally we don't get that until June or July," McDowell said.
McDowell says hikers can help themselves by preparing for the worst, even for a day hike. He says always remember the 10 Essentials. Even simple things like making sure your cell phone is charged will help if you have an emergency. He says always pre-plan your trip by doing research and knowing trail elevations.
The 10 Essentials
Map
Compass
Flashlight
Extra food & water
Extra clothing
Firestarter
Candle/fuel tablets
Knife
First Aid kit
Signaling device
https://katu.com/news/local/search-and-rescue-calls-overwhelm-skamania-county-deputies
