QUILCENE — A hiker who fell near Lake Constance remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a hospital spokesperson said.
Aaron Brengle, 33, of Bellevue was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center on Saturday night by a search and rescue team from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
Brengle had fallen down a slope earlier in the afternoon near Lake Constance, southwest of Quilcene.
He remained in critical condition Tuesday, Harborview spokesperson Susan Gregg said.
A GoFundMe page had raised more than $9,000 to help with medical expenses as of Tuesday afternoon.
Brengle had been hiking with his fiancee, Caitlin Ford, who wrote a message of gratitude to the Washington Hikers and Climbers Facebook page Sunday evening.
Ford said Brengle leaned against a tree that suddenly uprooted and slid down the rock face, and Brengle went with it. The fall happened at about 3:30 p.m.
“He fell 15 feet before making contact with the ground, and then slid another 10 [feet],” Ford wrote.
She categorized his injuries as broken facial bones, a broken jaw and shoulder blade, three fractured vertebrae, four broken ribs, a fractured wrist and cuts to his head, stomach and palm.
As of Monday, he remained unconscious, according to his sister, Angie Hobbs, on her Facebook page.
The first aid kit the hikers had with them was in Brengle’s backpack, which was shredded in the fall, Ford wrote.
“We were not inexperienced,” she wrote. “It wasn’t preventable. It would have been different had he been alone.”
Ford said she got Brengle situated the best she could, covered him with his jacket, and then left for help.
“I stole a bike that was ditched at the end of the dirt road and booked it to my car,” she wrote. “It took 10 minutes of driving before I had service and was able to call 9-1-1.”
That call took place more than 90 minutes after the fall, she wrote.
A Jefferson County search and rescue team was dispatched and arrived at Brengle’s location about 7:30 p.m., Ford said.
She also learned that a hiker who was behind her in coming down from the lake was the one who left the bike, and he had come across Brengle, taken vitals and kept notes on his condition.
Ford said the man “rejoiced” when he realized his bike was stolen “because he assumed that meant someone had been with Aaron and was using it to get to help faster.
“Even though he assumed that, he ran the road walk, after already having an exhausting day, and being inconvenienced by not having his bike. Then he tracked down the [deputies] in Brinnon, where I was, to check on the progress.”
10 essentials for hiking
- Navigation: Map, altimeter, compass, [GPS device], [PLB or satellite communicators], [extra batteries or battery pack]
- Headlamp: Plus extra batteries
- Sun protection: Sunglasses, sun-protective clothes, and sunscreen
- First aid: Including foot care and insect repellent (if required)
- Knife: Plus repair kit
- Fire: Matches, lighter and tinder, or stove as appropriate
- Shelter: Carried at all times (can be light emergency bivy)
- Extra food: Beyond minimum expectation
- Extra water: Beyond minimum expectation, or the means to purify
- Extra clothes: Beyond minimum expectation
________
Jefferson County Managing Editor Brian McLean can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 6, or at bmclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
