The Pacific Coast is home to a beautiful wonderland of recreation. Vast forests, high mountains, stark deserts all beckon the adventurous, whether they are hiking the Pacific Coast Trail, scaling the challenging faces of Yosemite, or out for a day hike along the Columbia Gorge. Yet along with this natural beauty comes risk, even for the most well-prepared. Search and Rescue Pacific Coast collects the stories of the mountaineers, rangers, and ordinary volunteers who step in to help when the terrain and conditions show no mercy. Covering historical and recent events, this collection includes:
- Stories of rescues on Mt. Rainier and Mt. Hood, including two in which the rescue volunteers’ helicopters crashed.
- Dramatic rescues along the Pacific Coast Trail.
- How the oldest volunteer search and rescue organization in the nation rescued 144 hikers from a raging forest fire in Eagle Creek, Oregon.
- The story of a search and rescue veteran who required his own rescue while attempting to help a family trapped by rising floodwaters in California.
- The tale of a woman who was charged with 98 felonies after a dramatic search and rescue operation on the Oregon coast.
The grit and determination of these search and rescue volunteers will inspire readers—and give them appreciation for the lessons of the wilderness.