There’s no more off-season for Deschutes SAR

Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue successfully completed three rescue missions in 12 hours on Sunday, which serves as a reminder for all of us looking to enjoy the great outdoors.

“Seventy-seventh, 78th, 79th – now we are just waiting for No. 80 to come out,” Lt. Scott Shelton, SAR coordinator told NewsChannel 21 on Monday.

“We’re averaging about nine missions a month right now, which is a little above average for us,” Shelton added. “But we seem to be picking it up with a bang in September.”

And because Central Oregon is known as a “recreational mecca,” there is no off-season.

“We used to have a lull in those ‘elbow seasons,’ where we transitioned from summer to winter,” Shelton said. “We don’t have those any more, What happens now is, it’s just year-round we are pretty busy and active.”

Sunday night, 67-year-old Kathleen Rodosevich was descending South Sister when she experienced medical issues. An AirLink helicopter was able to reach her and safely bring her to St. Charles where she was later released.

“Yesterday was pretty interesting, we started in the afternoon and ended in the wee hours of the morning,” Shelton said.

South Sister is a popular hike this time of year because most of the snow has melted, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s an easy hike.

“More and more folks are trying to summit South Sister, so we have seen an increase in activity there for us,” Shelton said, but added, “It’s not a simple climb. It may appear to be that way in some climbing magazines or online.”

But prepare for the worst, because conditions change quickly, and bring the basics, such as map and compass, to first aid kit, to water, to shelter, to a fire starter,” Shelton said.

An average year will see around 100 missions total, so this year is on track, but we could exceed that.

Shelton said none of these missions would not be possible without his team and his helpful volunteers.