Three Vancouver hikers rescued north of Carson

Search-and-rescue teams cut through downed trees knocked over in Monday’s windstorm to find three Vancouver hikers who called for help from the Panther Creek area north of Carson.

According to the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, its dispatch center received a call from the Washington State Department of Emergency Management on Monday about an emergency radio beacon activation. Skamania County deputies, along with state Department of Fish and Wildlife officials, responded on snowmobiles, and the North Country Emergency Service Volcano Rescue Team brought a snowcat to assist.

Deputies had to cut several trees from roadways to get to the signal location, about 5 to 8 miles north of Carson in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Based on contact information registered with the transmitter, staff were able to get in touch with Chris Ramsay, father to one of the hikers. Ramsay said his son and two friends had gone to the area Sunday. The three men had planned to park at the Crest Horse Camp below Red Mountain on National Forest Road 60 and hike to Junction Lake in the Indian Heaven Wilderness, the sheriff’s office said.

Ramsay told the sheriff’s office his son, Jack Ramsay, 20, was with Patrick Wallum, 21, and Altair Winguth, 20, and all were in good shape, had no known medical conditions and had hiking and camping supplies.

Searchers reached the Crest Horse Camp area and found the three men, uninjured, in their vehicle attempting to make their way out. At one point while waiting for help, the men took shelter in an outhouse from falling clumps of snow and high winds, Skamania County Sheriff Dave Brown said.

Brown said their vehicle was still near the campsite Tuesday, stuck in nearly 4 feet of snow.