NORTH BEND, Wash. — Seattle Mountain Rescue is finally home in North Bend.
The nonprofit has been volunteer-based for 75 years and just celebrated a milestone anniversary with the grand opening of its first-ever Mountain Rescue Center (MRC). The hub is in a strategic location which Chairperson Doug McCall said will be an advantage to the crew.
"It’s less than five miles from the busiest trails for rescues in King County," McCall said.
Seattle Mountain Rescue began renovations on the formerly-rundown building in 2020. With thousands of volunteer hours and help from state and private donors, the doors of the rescue center have finally opened.
Upwards of 70 volunteers are on call to participate in Search and Rescue operations, and a permanent home will provide the team with room to train, prepare and decompress after a tough search.
“We actually have a resilience team and that features three dogs," McCall said. Pickles, Ruffles and Bungie provide comfort to the rescue team and even to family members who are overwhelmed with emotion.
Doug Caley is one of the rescue volunteers with the organization. He recently participated in the successful search and rescue operation in Kittitas County that reunited a 10-year-old girl who spent the night alone in the woods with her family.
“Our business is picking up because of how much traffic there is on the trails,” Caley said.
June is one of the busiest months for Seattle Mountain Rescue. Having a new permanent hub near Mt Si in North Bend makes their response more efficient.
Seattle Mountain Rescue relies heavily on expertly trained, highly skilled alpinists that jump to action with little to no notice. The nonprofit was formed in 1948 and 75 years later the group is carrying out the same mission: saving lives through search, rescue, and mountain safety education at no cost, year-round. The new Mountain Rescue Center provides the dedicated volunteers with a space to honor their history, to train and to react just miles from many of the most popular Cascade hiking trails and mountain climbs in the region.