Missing hiker walks out of the wilderness

Mark Albrecht, 22, took no chances for his solo backpacking adventure. He lugged premium equipment, including a sleeping bag rated at zero degrees. He packed extra food, filed a detailed itinerary with rangers and purchased a permit. But the Eagle Scout wasn't prepared for dense, low-level fog that enveloped North Cascades National Park, turning an easy descent into a test for survival.

It was much different from a story all too familiar in the Pacific Northwest: A young, exuberant hiker marches into the wild and fails to return alive. Albrecht did what many rangers advise: When lost, stop and wait. It may have saved his life.

He emerged unscathed from the rocky woods Sunday afternoon as dozens of volunteer searchers, led by tracking dogs, scoured the area. Albrecht, who moved to Everett from Indiana three weeks ago to start a new job, was exhausted, cold and hungry. He credited a faith in God and the guiding hand of a good Samaritan hiker for his survival, said National Park spokeswoman Kerry Olson.

The trek began normally enough. Albrecht parked his car near a trailhead at the end of the Cascade River Road in the Marblemount area near Highway 20. He pitched camp for two nights as he wound his way through Cascade Pass, then up the Sahale Arm Trail toward the Sahale Glacier Camp at 7,700 feet elevation. He told rangers that he turned back Wednesday about 6:45 a.m., descended the steep Sahale Arm ridgeline but missed one of the switchbacks as fog obscured his way.

By 8:30 a.m., Albrecht told rangers, he was hopelessly lost, unable to get his bearings. Even the sun was obscured and the terrain was still spotted with snow.

Instead of risking injury by rambling across uncharted terrain, he pitched a tent, rationed his food and waited for the weather to clear — or for someone to stumble on his trail. On Sunday, the fog finally dissipated, and he saw the sun for the first time. He got his bearings — he was about a mile off course — and descended along a drainage culvert.

He emerged along the Cascade River Road on Sunday afternoon and was greeted by a hiker who knew that dozens of volunteers were looking for a lost backpacker. The hiker provided Albrecht with food and led him to a nearby base camp established by searchers, Olson said.

Albrecht's father, Everette Albrecht of West Lafayette, Ind., said he was overwhelmed when he heard that his son was alive, according to The Journal & Courier, Lafayette, Ind.

He said his son graduated from Purdue University in May with a degree in aviation technology.

"We wanted it to be good news and it was. Right now, my whole family is thankful to God."

Michael J. Berens: 206-464-2288 or mberens@seattletimes.com.