Kent-Harrison Search and Rescue (KHSAR) helped out some well-prepared but behind-schedule campers stranded at Chehalis Lake due to severe weather.
On Monday, April 4, KHSAR reported to the northern Chehalis area, where they found the stranded campers.
The campers from Vancouver intended to drive to the Skwelipil Recreation Site on the west side of Chehalis Lake before rafting three kilometres to the north end of the lake to camp on the beach. From there, they’d planned to hike to Statlu Lake and back for a 12-kilometre hike. On their way home, bad weather conditions forced them to stay a second night at the campsite at Skewelipil Creek, where KHSAR found them.
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KHSAR wrote on social media that the rescue could’ve come sooner, but unpredictable weather prevented helicopters from taking off and airlifting the campers to safety.
“This scenario had all the ingredients of a tragic outcome, but concluded with some very responsible campers/hikers who made the appropriate decisions and were well-prepared,” KHSAR wrote in a statement.
In 2022 to date, there have been seven calls for KHSAR’s services. Volunteers responded to 14 calls during the same period of time last year.
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