85-year-old Portland man rescued in Skamania County after falling 75 feet from hiking trail

An 85-year-old Portland man was rescued Thursday after falling 75 feet from the Windy Mountain Trail in Skamania County.

Search and rescue teams first began searching for the missing man after they received a call from his daughter saying he had not been seen or heard from since he began walking in the area Wednesday afternoon, Skamania County sheriff’s officials said in a statement.

A sheriff’s deputy found the man’s car parked at the trailhead, and members of the sheriff’s office search and rescue team, many of whom were volunteers, began walking down the trail. They found the man, whose name has not been released, about 1:20 a.m., far from the trail and stranded in “rough terrain,” sheriff’s officials said.

Due to the inaccessibility of the place where he fell, the team had to carry out a rescue operation using a rope. They pulled him onto the trail about six hours after they found him and took him to the trailhead, where he was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Skamania County Emergency Medical Services personnel and search and rescue volunteers from the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office, Skamania County Fire District 1 and Skamania County Fire District 2 assisted in the rescue.

“This mission is a direct reflection of the phenomenal collaborative effort of multiple teams that carried out a difficult but successful rescue operation,” Skamania County Sheriff Summer Scheier said in a statement.

The condition of the rescued man is currently unknown.

— Tatum Todd is a breaking news reporter covering public safety, crime and community news. Contact them at [email protected] or 503-221-4313.