Four snowshoers found near Snoqualmie Pass

Sandie Davis' first trip on snowshoes didn't exactly go the way she expected.

She and three more experienced women, one a friend, the second an acquaintance, the third a woman she'd just met, started snowshoeing along a trail at Gold Creek Sno-Park at about noon Sunday. Guided by a compass, they ventured off the trail and soon got lost.

After the women called for help on a cellphone, volunteer search teams spent all Sunday evening and Monday morning searching for them and finally rescued them Monday afternoon.

"We were highly confident throughout our afternoon in terms of how we would get back to the car," Davis, a 51-year-old West Seattle resident, said. "But we were wrong, and we got very lost."

About 4 p.m. Sunday, it was getting dark and the women grew worried, Davis said.

Her companion, Marynell Matt of Vashon, called 911 on her cellphone to report that she and her party had left the main trail and were lost, according to deputies.

Kittitas County Sheriff's Deputy Mark McBride was able to maintain cellphone contact with Matt, according to police, and worked with her cellphone provider to narrow the search area. Searchers also used snowmobiles to locate the women, according to police.

When they started out, the women weren't worried about the weather, Davis said. They'd read before their trip that a snow front wouldn't come in until Tuesday. However, that front came a day early, according to the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office. Searchers called the group to say they'd have to call off the search and resume it at 6:30 Monday morning.

Seven inches of snow fell Sunday night, according to the sheriff's office.

"We certainly had some stuff with us" — food, water and fully charged cellphones that they took turns using to call the search teams — "but we had no intention of staying the night," Davis said.

The group spent the night on top of a tarp and underneath mylar blankets, cozying up to one woman's dog for warmth. They dug out a small track where they walked back and forth to keep their circulation going, she said.

"We know we were lucky to be alive" at the end of the night, Davis said. "It was important to us to not bring the fear into the mix of it — we just stayed optimistic."

When the four were finally found, they were several miles off the trail, according to Kittitas County Undersheriff Clayton Meyer. None was harmed, but all were eager to get home and warm up, Davis said.

The snowshoe novice said she has a newfound appreciation for the volunteer rescue teams — and for marked trails.

She said she learned several lessons she'll apply to her next snowshoeing foray: "Don't go off the trail. Be prepared for more than you expect. Keep a level head to foster a positive experience. And, if you want to stay warm, don't eat the snow!"

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com

Jill Kimball: 206-464-2108 or jkimball@seattletimes.com

Information in a photo caption previously incorrectly stated a person's name. The correct name of the Kittitas County Search and Rescue volunteer is Kevin Huggett.