Missing backpacker found

A weeklong search for backpacker Jerren Fisher came to an end Sunday when National Park Service search and rescue teams found him.

According to a news release, the park requested assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard to locate Fisher and a helicopter from Port Angeles spotted him at 7:16 p.m. on a hillside in the Seven Stream drainage. A Coast Guard helicopter from Astoria, Oregon, transported Fisher to Olympia Regional Airport to be taken to the hospital for medical care.

The search and rescue operation began Sept. 16 when Fisher was reported overdue to park dispatch by a family member. The Olympic National Park release thanked volunteers from Olympic Mountain Rescue and Tacoma Mountain Rescue, and Washington State Search and Rescue Planning Unit, North Cascades National Park and the U.S. Coast Guard, who aided the National Park Service in finding Fisher.

Visitors are urged to plan, pack essentials and have an emergency plan.