Family’s call for help on S. Sister prompts search effort

A Corvallis family of seven who lost the trail while descending South Sister made a cellphone call for help early Sunday evening, prompting a search and rescue effort that ended hours later when the father called again to say they had made it out to a trailhead on their own.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched around 5:20 p.m. to the report of the family needing assistance on the 10,358-foot peak, said Deputy Jim Whitcomb, assistant Search and Rescue coordinator.

Jesse Wise said he, his wife and their five children, age 6 to 15, had come upon a literal rock wall and the clouds had lowered, so they no longer could tell which way to go, Whitcomb said.

Wise said they were dressed for the weather, had food and water and the means to start a fire (though later he told deputies they had not brought a map, GPS or compass).

Wise told dispatchers they would head a bit farther to the southeast, to a group of trees, where he would start a fire.

Attempts to call Wise back were unsuccessful, as were efforts to text him, Whitcomb said.

But dispatch was able to provide some fairly accurate GPS coordinates of where Wise called from, showing the family had gotten off the trail to the west of the climbers trail by about seven-tenths of a mile, at an elevation of about 6,500 feet.

“Accidentally leaving the trail to the west in this area has proven to be a common cause of hikers becoming lost during this time of year, when the snow is still covering the trail, especially with limited visibility,” Whitcomb said in a news release.

A U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer responded to Devils Lake Trailhead and quickly hiked the climbers trail to the family’s last known location, in an attempt to find them before dark. Meanwhile, five Sheriff’s Search and Rescue members were deployed to the same trail, to help the officer find the family and assist them down the mountain.

The Forest Service officer was unable to find anyone at the Wises’ last known coordinates, but he did find tracks that appeared to be the family’s, heading south, still off the trail, Whitcomb said.

Soon, the tracks began to lead toward the west, raising concerns the family would end up making a more difficult and time-consuming descent. Around that time, more SAR resources were starting to be deployed, to help in the search.

Shortly before 9 p.m., Wise again called dispatch to report the family had made it back to the Devils Lake Trailhead and that they all were wet, but okay, Whitcomb said.

Deputies learned Wise’s phone had died soon after calling dispatch. Wise was able to build a fire, but the weather cleared up soon after, and he was able to see tracks heading in what the father believed was the right direction.

Whitcomb said Wise and his family turned around about 1,000 feet below the summit on their trip.

The Forest Service officer followed the tracks left by the family on their descent, which showed they ended up coming down the mountain counter-clockwise on the Moraine Lake Trail, rather than the Cimbers Trail. The SAR team made it back to the trailhead around 9:30 p.m. and the Forest Service officer about 15 minutes later.

Whitcomb said the sheriff’s office wants to remind those who recreate in the back country to always be prepared for their plans to change at a moment’s notice. You’re urged to always have the 10 essentials with you, to help ensure a successful visit. Visit http://www.deschutessearchandrescue.org for more information on the 10 essentials.