Missing South Sister hiker found cold, thirsty but OK

A 38-year-old Portland man who failed to return from a Saturday hike up South Sister was found late Monday morning in good condition, about three to four miles south of the summit, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit was in the second day of its search for Geerald Derrickson, who recently moved to Portland from Delaware, said sheriff’s Lt. Bryan Husband. Here’s the rest of his update, in full:

A total of 16 DCSO SAR Volunteers were assisted by an Oregon Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter crew, as well as members from the Oregon Air National Guard 125th Special Tactics Squadron.

At about 11:34am, a DCSO SAR volunteer near the Devil’s Lake Trailhead was notified by a trail runner that she and her partner had located Derrickson on the Wickiup Plains trail, about 1 1/2 miles from the Devil’s Lake Trailhead.

“Other than being cold, maybe in the beginning stages of hypothermia, and thirsty, he was in good condition,” Husband told NewsChannel 21’s A.J. Kato.

The trail runners, who had recognized Derrickson from the flyers posted in the area by DCSO SAR volunteers, had provided Derrickson with a sweatshirt and water and were guiding him to the Devil’s Lake Trailhead.

Additional DCSO SAR volunteers were redirected to Derrickson’s reported location on the Wickiup Plains Trail and contacted him a short time later.

Derrickson’s overall condition was confirmed as previously stated and he was able to walk out to the Devil’s Lake Trailhead on his own power, where he was reunited with his hiking partner and family.

After interviewing Derrickson about his route of travel, it is believed he mistakenly traveled off of the west side of the South Sister climber’s trail, taking him farther west into the Three Sisters Wilderness and Wickiup Plains area. He was eventually able to locate the Wickiup Plains trail and later observed by the mentioned trail runners.

“He had been hiking earlier in the day with his girlfriend,” Husband said. “His girlfriend was not able to summit. He provided her with his only light source, when he continued to summit, so now he was at the summit with no light source, no GPS, and I would say that definitely led to him going off-trail.”

Husband said the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind those that recreate outdoors to prepare accordingly for your activity.

Some considerations include proper clothing for day and night conditions in your environment, even if you do not expect to be out over night. Ensure you have adequate water and food, topographical trail maps, extra batteries or charging options for phones or GPS units.

Bring a light source and a signaling device. Seek out information regarding the area and what may be encountered, such as current and projected weather conditions as well as terrain in the area. Tell someone where you are going, what you will be taking with you and when you plan to return.

The South Sister trail, although not requiring technical expertise if you stay on the trail, is a challenging hike for most individuals. Anyone attempting to summit South Sister for their first time should avoid going by themselves or beginning too late in the day, which would lead to a descent in the dark.

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Earlier info:

More than 20 Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue volunteers were part of Sunday’s search, Deputies and U.S. Forest Service law enforcement, an AirLink helicopter and an Oregon Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter crew assisted in the search, said Deputy Cliff Cox, assistant SAR coordinator.

“Numerous hikers were contacted on the various trails in the South Sister area, but no one reported observing Derrickson,” Cox said in Sunday night’s update.

“Due to the hazardous conditions for searchers during the hours of darkness on and around the mountain,” the search was suspended until 6:30 a.m. Monday, Cox added, when the National Guard Blackhawk helicopter also returned to assist.

Derrickson reportedly reached the 10,358-foot summit around 6 p.m. Saturday after becoming separated from his hiking partner, Cox said.

Search resources in the wilderness area west of Bend included a mountain rescue unit and teams on horseback, he said.

The man’s hometown was not identified, but Sgt. Nathan Garibay said he was not from Central Oregon and apparently was from Delaware.

Deputies said Derrickson had a blue backpack and is reported to be wearing a black T-shirt, black long-sleeved shirt, shorts and gray sweatpants with a black stripe down the leg. He also was wearing a bright red Portland Trail Blazers baseball hat.