Two of the four hikers lost in southwest Washington due to early season snowfall have been rescued. Search efforts continue for the two still missing. Matt Margiotta and Kyla Arnold were found in waist-deep snow by a Coast Guard helicopter on Tuesday.
The unexpected snowfall that began over the weekend blocked their trail on Monday, so they called for help. The two had walked from Mexico and were making their way to their final destination at the Canadian border. They had nearly run out of food after being forced to take shelter beneath a tarp for four days. The snow let up enough for the rescuers to find them early in the evening the following day.
The other two hikers were traveling separately. Alejandrea Wilson is somewhere on the Pacific Crest Trail and Kristopher Zitzewitz was last seen near the Big Lava Beds of Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Wilson failed to check in with her father Dane Wilson as expected on Monday. Wilson encountered Arnold and Margiotta on Friday and was believed to be about a day’s hike ahead of them. Zitzewitz became separated from his partner on Saturday when the storms first began. Ground searchers and dog teams have been looking for the two.