ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Four unprepared hikers were safely escorted off the Pacific Crest Trail early this morning after becoming lost, Kittitas County sheriff’s officials said.

The King County Sheriff’s Office received the first report that the group was in distress and relayed the information to Kittitas County about 8 p.m. Sunday, Undersheriff Clay Myers said.

The group was stranded on the trail in the area of Mirror Lake, in the western area of Kittitas County just east of the King County border, Myers said.

Volunteer searchers walked in to escort them out. They arrived back at their vehicle shortly after 2 a.m.

The sheriff’s office identified the hikers as: Malissa Anglea, 32, of Kent, Wash.; Julia Grace, 28, of San Jose, Calif.; Natalie Findley, 27, of Seattle, and 28-year-old Joshua Wilson, 28, of Covington, Wash.

Backcountry hikers should carry enough supplies to spend at least one night and let someone know their travel plans, officials say.

— Mark Morey