Seattle hiker rescued after Cascades ordeal

A hiker who was lost for nearly a week in North Cascades National Park survived by eating berries and drinking stream water, all while leaving notes for her potential rescuers.

Mary Hyde Wingfield, 33, of Seattle, who was rescued Friday, was hiking the Stetattle Creek Trail in the park last weekend when she lost the path and ended up in rugged terrain near a creek.

Wingfield told friends she was planning a hike in the Darrington area, but apparently when she arrived there she discovered extensive winter storm damage, so she decided to drive farther north, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office.

Search crews began looking for Wingfield on Tuesday when she was reported missing. Wednesday another hiker noticed Wingfield's vehicle at the Stetattle Creek Trailhead, and the search began.

She was spotted by a helicopter crew about 2:30 p.m. Friday, about five miles from the trail and about one mile from where she left notes searchers later found.

The helicopter was able to set down in an open area and take her to the nearby town of Diablo.

Aside from bumps, bruises and dehydration, Wingfield was in remarkably good shape when she was found, said Mark Jilk, a search coordinator for the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office.

"She's just a tough individual," Chief Ranger Kinsey Shilling said. Wingfield declined to talk to reporters Friday.

Wingfield knew search teams were looking for her, Jilk said. She heard and saw most, if not all, of the helicopter flights in the drainage area where she was hiking.

After days of wandering downstream in the wilderness, Wingfield decided to head back upstream Friday, and that's when she was found, Jilk said.

Search crews found clues to Wingfield's whereabouts during their search. They found a water bottle, dental-insurance card, grocery-store membership card and a note on her employer's letterhead indicating she was without food or water.

The note, signed by Wingfield, said she was heading downstream. She left one note that was never found by searchers, Jilk said.

Whatcom and Skagit County deputies aided National Park Service rangers in the search, Shilling said.

Christina Siderius: csiderius@seattletimes.com

Brian Alexander: 206-464-2026 or balexander@seattletimes.com