By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Two Sitka teenagers who got lost hiking on Mt. Verstovia were rescued and brought back to town by a Coast Guard helicopter Saturday afternoon.
The pair, a 15-year-old girl and her 14-year-old brother, told rescuers they had gone on a day hike around 7 a.m., and reached Picnic Rock in about two and a half hours. Around 3:30 p.m. they realized they had lost the trail, and called 911 on a cell phone for help.
Sitka Fire Department Chief Craig Warren said the department guided the teens through the process of using the compass app on their cell phone to find their geographical coordinates to convey to rescuers. The fire hall dispatched two search teams of about six members each to head up the mountain on the trail, and called the Coast Guard.
A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka helicopter joined the search, with two fire department search and rescue volunteers aboard. The hikers were advised to stay put, and maintain a regular contact schedule with the fire hall. Once the hikers were spotted by the helicopter team, they were hoisted to safety, and the ground teams were recalled. Warren said.
The fire chief said the hikers were found about a quarter-mile off the Mt. Verstovia Trail at an elevation of around 1,750 feet.
Warren said the siblings were cold and wet but otherwise fine. He said the incident is a good reminder to hikers to file a “float plan” of where they plan to be and when they plan to return, and to make sure they have a good communications system to reach help if needed.
“Also, plan for the weather,” he said, noting that conditions at the mountaintop Saturday were snow on the ground, and 15 mph winds.
