Mill Creek boy who died at ice caves drowned, investigators say

VERLOT — The 6-year-old boy who died Sunday near the Big Four Ice Caves drowned, investigators said Monday.

The child’s body was recovered from the South Fork Stillaguamish River, about a mile downstream from a footbridge that carries hikers across the river.

The boy’s body was spotted by searchers in a helicopter. Search and rescue teams tried to resuscitate him but were unsuccessful.

The child’s family told investigators they’d been by the river near the footbridge before the boy went missing.

They called for help at about 6 p.m. and searchers found his body two hours later.

The boy was identified Monday as Aidan McClanahan, of Mill Creek, according to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. His death was ruled an accident from freshwater drowning.

It comes at the beginning of what safety experts call “trauma season” and along a trail that had been closed for 10 months after two fatalities.

Police investigating the drowning remained at the scene late Monday morning but the trail is not closed, said Tracy O’Toole, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.

“The Big Four Ice Caves trail is open and will remain open,” she said Monday.

Every spring and summer, people die outdoors in Snohomish County.

The area’s rivers run fast and cold this time of year, and they are full of debris that can snag swimmers. Sunday’s death was at least the fourth reported drowning and the second child to drown so far this year in the county. That list includes 2-year-old Grayson E. Hill, who drowned in Woods Creek in January after wandering away from home. The creek near Monroe was running high from recent rain.

A 3-year-old boy also survived a near-drowning April 17 in the Pilchuck River, according to Safe Kids Snohomish County, which runs a drowning prevention program.

Last year, the sheriff’s office reported a total of five drownings in the Stillaguamish, Snohomish and Skykomish rivers. The county’s life jacket cabinets typically open Memorial Day Weekend. The cabinets aren’t posted on local rivers because the rivers are not safe places to swim. Some fire departments also have loaner life jackets.

Safe Kids warns families to be cautious around rivers and streams. “Calm rivers can hide dangerous undercurrents, rocks and branches. Rivers are unpredictable and should be avoided. This time of year the waters are dangerously cold,” the group said.

The county-wide team of firefighters trained in technical rescues reported 78 water rescue calls last year, 28 of which involved rivers.

The Big Four Ice Caves trail reopened Friday. The trail was closed after a deadly collapse of the caves on July 6. Anna Santana, 34, of Moreno Valley, California, died 10 yards from the back of the cave, where a waterfall runs down the north face of Big Four Mountain. Her brother, David Santana, 25, of Lynnwood, succumbed three months later to his injuries.

The 6-year-old who died Sunday reportedly ran ahead and got separated from his family on their way back from the caves. The bridge over the South Fork Stillaguamish River, near where his body was recovered, is close to the parking lots and trailhead.

The Forest Service plans to install more safety signs along the trail warning people to stay on the designated path, O’Toole said.

“There’s general hazards with hiking and outdoor experiences, and we want to reinforce that,” she said.

The boy is the second child to die in recent years while hiking to the Big Four Ice Caves. Grace Tam, an 11-year-old from Marysville, was killed in 2010 after a chunk of ice struck her while she was standing about 20 feet from the caves.

An estimated 50,000 people visit the Big Four Ice Caves each year. Hikers on Saturday described the allure of the trail, which takes people into breathtaking mountain scenery with a short, easy walk. Some described the hike as a warm-up for the rest of the spring and summer.

By 1 p.m. Saturday, the second day after the trail reopened, the parking lots at Big Four were full and people greeted each other as they headed up and down the trail. There were clusters of energetic kids, parents carrying bundled up infants and dogs panting at the ends of their leashes.

The caves had not yet formed in the mass of avalanche debris at the base of the mountain. Snow towered above hikers and small openings were visible where the caves usually emerge each spring. The ice caves are created as warm air melts caverns into piles of snow deposited by avalanches at the base of the mountain. Rock fall is also common from the mountain’s north face.

The caves are the most notorious danger at Big Four, especially when people go inside or climb on top. On Saturday, hikers were clambering over the snow high above the boulder field below, heedless of signs warning them to stay clear. The snow above where the caves are forming becomes fragile as warm air melts from below. One wrong step could be deadly.

A father and two young children climbed around Saturday afternoon at the base of the snow. Most hikers who reached the end of the one-mile trail found a boulder or log to sit on away from the caves.

Snow, ice and water aren’t the only dangers on local trails. Falls are another serious concern for hikers.

In June 2014, a Lynnwood High School freshman fell to his death after going off trail at Lake 22 on Mount Pilchuck. Two years earlier, a 15-year-old from Granite Falls suffered critical injuries after a 100-foot fall on the mountain. A 29-year-old fell off a cliff on the mountain and died in 2011.

Kari Bray: kbray@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3439.

Stay safe

Drowning is silent.

Constant supervision is key.

Know your limits. No matter how good a swimmer you are, it is easy to misjudge the water or your skills.

Local lakes and rivers are cold. A calm surface can conceal dangerous undercurrents, rocks and tree branches. Local rivers are not safe for swimming.

Wear a life jacket.

Learn CPR. If something happens, call 911 quickly and know your location.