Flashing light helps in rescue of hiker who fell 1,200 feet down ravine in Olympic National Forest

By Sara Smart, CNN

(CNN) — A hiker was found with the help of a flashing light after falling more than 1,200 feet down a ravine in the Olympic National Forest over the weekend.

The 30-year-old man was hiking on Saturday with another individual when he fell down a ravine on Mt. Ellinor, according to the Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island.

The person he was hiking with was unable to find him after the fall.

Mt. Ellinor is nearly 6,000 feet in elevation at its summit, according to the US Forest Service.

A search and rescue crew with NAS Whidbey Island was launched around 6:20 p.m. in an attempt to locate the hiker, the station said.

When crews couldn’t locate the hiker near the top of Mt. Ellinor, they began searching about 1,000 feet down from the top where they saw an avalanche runout.

Crews spotted a flashing light that helped guide them to the missing hiker, according to NAS Whidbey Island.

The crew worked quickly to rescue the hiker, concerned about the potential for another avalanche or falling rocks, NAS Whidbey Island said. They lowered a search and rescue team crewmember down to the hiker and were able to lift him in the helicopter.

The hiker was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle around 7:45 p.m. He was treated for a broken arm, symptoms of hypothermia and significant abrasions, according to NAS Whidbey Island.

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island SAR has conducted 43 missions this calendar year, which includes 4 MEDEVACs, 6 searches and 33 rescues, according to a release.

The Olympic National Forest is located in western Washington, about 110 miles west of Seattle.

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