Station Search and Rescue Whidbey assists in rescue of stranded mountaineers

(NAS WHIDBEY ISLAND)- A Search and Rescue (SAR) team from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island assisted in the rescue of two stranded mountaineers off the North Face of Mt. Baker on June 3, 2025.

The mountaineers slipped and fell on the north face of Mt. Baker while attempting to summit the mountain that morning. They became stranded and immobile after one of the members, a 62-year-old man, lost a boot/crampon in the fall, according to a news release from NAS Whidbey Island.

NAS Whidbey Island’s SAR team received a request for assistance from the Whatcom County Sheriff Department via the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) at approximately 11:20 a.m. A SAR team was able to reach the stranded men’s coordinates quickly, in roughly 20 minutes, as they were conducting an airborne training exercise.

After retrieving the two men the SAR crew flew them to Peace Health St. Joseph Medical Center before returning to the air station.

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island SAR has conducted 13 missions this calendar year, which includes 4 MEDEVACs, 1 search and 8 rescues.