DCSO searchers help lost Bend hiker off South Sister

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies and Search and Rescue volunteers came to the aid Wednesday night of a hiker who became lost after summiting South Sister and sought assistance getting back to the trail, deputies said.

Around 6 p.m. Wednesday, Quincy Sigona, 30, of Bend, called Deschutes County 911 to report her brother, Nole Sigona, 32, also of Bend, had become lost after summiting the 10,358-foot peak, said sheriff’s Sgt. Nathan Garibay.

Nole Sigona provided his coordinates, which were verified by a cellphone ping when he later called 911.

He was about a mile west of the summit of South Sister and the South Sister Climber Trail.

“This area of South Sister is steep, with loose terrain,” Garibay said in a news release.

Sigona requested assistance in finding the trail, as he was not equipped for an overnight stay and had no source of light besides his cellphone. He had a small amount of food and water, but had no other clothing than the shorts and t-shirt he was wearing.

A DCSO SAR deputy was able to assist Sigona by phone in returning to the summit and finding the trail, which he did at about 8:45 p.m. He then traveled south on the climbers trail until it became too dark to continue without a light source, at around 9:50 p.m.

A SAR team of four volunteers hiked in from the Devil’s Lake Trailhead, finding Sigona about 11:10 p.m. in good health. The Search and Rescue team escorted him off the mountain and back to his vehicle.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind those recreating in the back country to always prepare for varying conditions and carry the “10 Essentials for Wilderness Survival.”

They include sources for navigation, sun protection, insulation, illumination, first-aid supplies, fire, repair kit/tools, nutrition, hydration and emergency shelter.