Should irresponsible hikers be forced to pay for their rescue? This sheriff says yes

By Rong-Gong Lin II
Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — The number of rescues in the wilderness areas around Mount St. Helens keep going up — and the actions of some of those before they call for help have drawn criticism as reckless.

One man, 21, kayaked over a waterfall, suffering a spinal injury. A 54-year-old woman glissaded down Mount St. Helens — sliding down a snow-covered slope — and suffered a head injury when she struck a rock.

Each of those rescues in May, in a remote, mountainous county, required six-hour efforts. And one West Coast sheriff is now pondering sending the most egregious victims a bill.

The idea would involve a new county ordinance where a person could be cited “if they are found to be reckless or negligent in their actions…