WASHINGTON — A backpacker who was reported missing Aug. 5 in the Olympic National Park was found alive Sunday.
Cheri Keller of Olympia, 56, was last seen with her group around 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 4 near Home Sweet Home camp in the southeastern area of the park.
She became separated from the group as they hiked toward Camp Pleasant. Her group waited for her there but she did not arrive and two members of the group hiked out on Aug. 5 to report her missing. The others hiked back to look for her but did not find her.
Around 11 a.m. on Sunday, the King County Sheriff's Office Guardian II helicopter spotted Keller off trail in a basin east of Mount Steele, according to the National Park Service.
The helicopter laded in the basin and brought Keller to Sanderson Field Airport in Shelton. Keller was taken to Mason County Hospital for evaluation but was in stable condition.
