Clinging To Hope For Hikers -- Rescuers, Copters, Bloodhounds Search Lake Serene Area

INDEX, Snohomish County - Cindy Hoy hardly seemed to notice the cold drops of rain pelting her face yesterday. Her gaze was fixed like a laser on a snow-capped mountainside, clutching a photo of her fiance, Scott Bennett.

"He loves to hike," said Hoy. "He went on one hike that lasted a month. There is still hope."

But hope went up and down yesterday like the rugged edges of the landscape where rescue workers searched for Bennett and two friends presumed lost in the Lake Serene area near Mount Index, east of Monroe.

Threats of high winds and the knowledge that two other men died a week ago in an avalanche near Snoqualmie Pass made the mood even more somber, as friends and relatives gathered at the search site.

Bennett, 28, of Gold Bar, was the most experienced of the three hikers. He and two friends, Tim Skadan, 31, of Bothell and Fred Petrie, 31, of Snohomish, began their hike Friday and were expected to return Sunday.

Relatives reported them missing Monday morning and the search got under way a few hours later.

About 20 Snohomish County search-and-rescue volunteers on snowshoes scoured the area on foot yesterday, where at least 5 feet of snow blanketed the ground. Several of them had spent Monday night on the mountain. A helicopter searched the area both days, said Jan Jorgensen, spokeswoman for the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.

In addition to helicopters and ground rescuers, bloodhounds were brought in. A few friends and relatives also set out on their own search up the backside of the mountain, trying to find the men.

However, nonstop rain and cracks in the snowpack caused rescuers to call off the search last night. An unstable snowpack drenched by warm rain raised the avalanche threat in the area, Jorgensen explained. The search could continue today, she said.

"We're taking it one day at a time. We feel hopeful," Jorgensen said. "We just don't want to lose more lives while trying to save lives."

There was some early optimism at about noon yesterday when a man who lives in the area hiked down from his remote home to report seeing smoke coming out of an abandoned mine shaft. Later it was learned that the man saw the smoke on Saturday, and none has been seen since.

The elevation of the search area is about 3,500 feet near Bridal Veil Falls on Mount Index.

When the men began their hike Friday, it was snowing, but pleasant, said Tim Lansing, who lives in the area.

"It was just beautiful here on Friday," Lansing said. "But things can turn nasty really fast."

The three men left on their hike two days after two 19-year-old men - Rob Mattson, of Mill Creek, and Matthew Ichihashi, of Woodinville - were found dead just northwest of the Alpental trailhead near Snoqualmie Pass, victims of an avalanche.

Bennett, Skadan and Petrie were well-equipped with enough hiking gear, snowshoes, warm clothes, tents and food to last until last Sunday, said Skadan's mother Beth Skadan.

Bennett had made the same hike to Lake Serene last winter, and he was familiar with the area, Hoy said. That's why hope was raised a bit when the report was made about smoke seen from the abandoned mine shaft, because Bennett knew they were there, Hoy said.

"I'm more optimistic after hearing that," said Fred Petrie Sr.

His son is an accountant with the state and is married with two small daughters. Bennett and Skadan, who is divorced and has two children, both work at Boeing in Everett.

Skadan, according to his mother, Beth Skadan, took the same equipment he had with him when he climbed Mount Rainier this summer on his birthday - reaching his goal of scaling the mountain before he turned 31.

Skadan said her son was aware that Stevens Pass was closed from the snowfall the day after Christmas. However, she didn't think they were aware that the next storm would be as bad as it was.

Hoy said she had faith in Bennett's survival skills, and she knew he respected the mountain. Still, she worried.

"He's been up here before this time of year," Hoy said. "But not in weather like this."

Seattle Times Snohomish County bureau reporter Linda W.Y. Parrish contributed to this report.