Two lost Broken Top hikers rescued overnight

Two visitors who began hiking up Broken Top late Friday afternoon became lost after darkness fell and called for help Friday night, prompting a successful overnight rescue operation, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

Sheriff’s dispatchers received a call around 9:40 p.m. from Nikki Nguyen, 20, of Happy Valley, Oregon,, saying she and her friend, Hoang Ly, 21, of Biloxi, Mississippi, were lost and needed assistance in returning to their starting point at the Broken Top Trailhead in the Three Sisters Wilderness, said Deputy Jim Whitcomb, assistant search and rescue coordinator.

Nguyen advised they were getting cold and had light jackets with them, but no lights except their cellphones, Whitcomb said.

The pair had started their hike to No Name Lake, on the northeast side of Broken Top, around 4:30 p.m. and lost their way to the lake when darkness fell, the deputy said.

Dispatchers were able to provide three different GPS coordinates that varied in accuracy, he said. After making phone contact with Nguyen, a more accurate location was determined, which ended up being about 3/10 of a mile south of Broken Hand and a similar distance southeast of No Name Lake.

A map was sent to Nguyen as a text message, but they were unable to navigate in the darkness with their cellphones, Whitcomb said. She advised they would stay at their current location until help arrived.

Around 12:30 a.m., SAR deployed a team of three members on foot from the Broken Top Trailhead, and they located the hikers around 1:40 a.m.

The pair were found to be in good condition, though very cold, Whitcomb said. SAR members provided them with extra warm clothes and lighting.

After being warmed up, the hikers were helped back to the trailhead without incident, arriving shortly after 3 a.m.

Whitcomb reminded those recreating in the wilderness to carry the 10 Essentials for Wilderness Survival, including sources for navigation, sun protection, insulation, illumination, first-aid supplies, fire, a repair kit/tools, nutrition, hydration and emergency shelter. Learn more at: http://www.deschutessearchandrescue.org/the-10-essentials-for-survival/