Search continues for hiker missing since Saturday

Three helicopters and about 50 searchers are at Snoqualmie Pass this morning looking for a 31-year-old Seattle woman who went missing while snowshoeing Saturday.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was last seen around 1 p.m. Saturday while snowshoeing with two friends near Snoqualmie Pass on the Denny Creek Trail, said Sgt. John Urquhart, spokesman for the King County Sheriff's Office.

The woman, who Urquhart describes as having an intermediate level of experience on snowshoes, told two friends walking ahead of her that she was heading back to the car. When the two companions turned to follow the woman, near Hemlock Pass, she was gone, Urquhart said.

The friends looked for her before alerting authorities at 2:13 a.m. Sunday that she was missing, Urquhart said.

If the woman has managed to stay dry and find shelter in a tree well, there's a strong chance she has survived two nights in the Cascades, Urquhart said. The woman was only prepared for a day hike.

"She's not dressed or had the equipment for an overnight stay," Urquhart said.

The woman has been in Seattle 18 months and is a native of Chicago. Her relatives from Illinois are at a search and rescue command post set up on the Denny Creek Trail waiting for news, Urquhart said.

Search and rescue crews from King, Snohomish, Pierce, Thurston, Skagit, Kitsap and Kittitas counties are looking for the woman. Helicopters from King and Snohomish counties sheriff's offices and from the Navy are also searching. Five search and rescue dogs are also on site.

The sheriff's office isn't expected to release any new information on the search until 3:30 p.m.

Denny Creek Trail is a popular trail with a modest climb and is used heavily in the fall.

Seattle Times staff reporters Jennifer Sullivan, Natalie Singer and Warren Cornwall contributed to this report.