Photo: Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team/Facebook
Nancy Abell, of Sultan, Washington, met 34-year-old Katharina Groene on Oct. 22 when Abell gave the German hiker a ride to Stevens Pass. Little did the women know, the chance encounter would end up saving Groene’s life.
Groene had set off in May on a solo hike of the Pacific Crest Trail and wasdetermined to reach the Canadian border, officials with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post. But Abell, an experienced hiker, knew a snowstorm was coming and tried to talk Groene out of it.
Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team/Facebook
Abell pleaded with Groene toput her journey on hold due to the storm, even hiking a few miles with Groene as she attempted to change her mind, according to ABC News. Abell returned home but continued to monitor the storm.
As the days passed, Abell worried about Groene, and her fears had come true: Groene had become stranded in the mountains with very little food.
“I wasn’t sure if I’d make it out at all. My food was running out,” Groene said during the press conference. Police said in their statement that Groene had tried to call for help but was unsuccessful. So, “she left messages on her phone apologizing to her friends and family for dying on the PCT.”
Meanwhile, Abell had a feeling Groene may have been in danger. On Oct. 29, she contacted Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue.
“[Abell] had a pretty good idea in her mind of where [Groene] would be based on weather and the amount of weight she was carrying,” Sgt. John Adams, with the search and rescue team, said during the press conference.
The sheriff’s office sent out its rescue helicopter, SNOHAWK1, and the pilots, Einar Espeland and Bill Quistorf, were barely able to fly the aircraft in the rough weather.
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However, they managed to spot Groene taking cover near the trees after tracking human footprints in the snow.
“She was not prepared for winter mountain weather,” police said of Groene in their Facebook statement. “Her tarp (shelter) had blown away, she was soaking wet and running low on food.”
“If Nancy had not taken action Katharina would have most likely died in the mountains,” police said in the statement.
Groene will stay with Abell until she is able to return to Germany, police added.
source: people.com
