MAZAMA, Wash. – Eight people were stranded on Goat Wall, a popular climbing spot near Mazama and were rescued by Okanogan County Search and Rescue.
On May 21, around 10:30 p.m., the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office received a distress call reporting eight stranded individuals on Goat Wall, located 3 miles west of Mazama.
Search and Rescue swiftly mobilized, communicating with the stranded group to pinpoint their location on pitch 8 of the climb. Due to adverse weather conditions, helicopters could not perform an air rescue.
Okanogan Search and Rescue responders rappelled down to the stranded party, aided by technical climbers from Okanogan County Volunteer Search and Rescue, Chelan County Mountain Rescue, the US Forest Service, and North Cascades Mountain Guides.
Six members of the group were guided down the face of Goat Wall by North Cascades Mountain Guides, while two people were hoisted to safety at the top of the wall using specialized equipment and assistance from Okanogan County Volunteer Search and Rescue, Chelan Mountain Rescue, and the US Forest Service.
By 5:30 p.m. on May 22, all eight party members had been safely extracted. Deputies said the cause of the incident was determined to be the stranded party’s lack of experience.
The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook thanked all the search and rescue volunteers who participated in the rescue.
