A YouTube video shot by two hikers in Washington state over the weekend provides a gripping account of their brush with a wildfire and the measures they took to get down off a mountain safely.
The video by Steve Cooper, of Lyman, Wash., and Matt Bishop, of Snohomish, Wash., has been viewed more than 76,000 times since being uploaded to Cooper’s “Path Least Taken” channel, where he shares outdoor adventures.
The two hikers ran into trouble during a Saturday hike to Baring Mountain, in the Central Cascades northeast of Seattle, as flames and smoke from the Bolt Creek fire caught them by surprise.
“I debated about posting this video online. I was afraid about all the criticism that I would get,” Cooper says at the start of the video. “I’m posting this video as an educational tool to try to point out all the mistakes that we made which ended up putting our lives in danger.”
Despite taking the risk to head out for a hike on a smoky or “red flag” day, Cooper and Bishop turned to available technology and their hiking skills. With footage of intense flames and smoke blocking the path they used to head up the mountain, they relied on GPS and a skill set referred to as “route finding,” which allows hikers to safely navigate mountain terrain.
“Hopefully you guys get to see this video, because otherwise we didn’t make it,” Bishop said at one point after Cooper says to the camera, “We are trapped here.” He later added, “We are going to try to get out of here before we burn to death.”
The men hiked for hours and had a close call with at least one scary fall near a steep cliff. They were in contact with authorities via 911, but could not be rescued due to the dangerous conditions. In some views, Bishop can be seen carrying and checking his phone as he makes his way down.
In comments on the video, many people praised the two hikers for remaining calm and finding a safe way out.
“Y’all had the brains and tech to manage to get all the way back to your vehicle,” one person wrote. “I hope, at some point, for the benefit of hikers that you two make another video discussing the technology you had, your wayfinding experience and the decision-making you used that got you both out alive,” another commenter said.
Cooper simply credited the pair’s determination, and near the end of the video the two appear exhausted and thirsty as they reach safety.
“We wanted to stay alive and make it back home to our families,” Cooper said.
