Deschutes SAR rescues snowshoeing couple near Edison Butte

A couple in their 70s from the Mt. Hood area became lost during a snowshoeing trip near Edison Butte with their dog on Friday, prompting a call for help from a snow shelter and a successful rescue effort that concluded late Friday night.

Judith Russell, 74, called Deschutes County 911 dispatchers around 4:40 p.m. to report that she and her husband, David Russell, 75, had been snowshoeing near the butte southwest of Bend and became lost, sheriff’s Deputy and Assistant Search and Rescue Coordinator Aaron Meyers said.

“Judith said they had been going around in circles for hours and were exhausted,” Myers said in a news release.

The woman said they were near a snow shelter, later determined to be the AC/DC snow shelter. The Russells had left the Edison Sno-Park trailhead southwest of Bend around 11 a.m. and were carrying no map of the area. Myers said.

The couple had a little food and water left, and were properly dressed for the cold, snowy weather. They also had sufficient battery life on their phone, but did not have a working light or a way to start a fire, Myers said.

Judith Russell said they were not comfortable snowshoeing the nearly three miles from the shelter to the Edison Sno-Park in the dark.

Two Sheriff’s SAR volunteers responded to the sno-park and deployed on two track quads to the Russells’ location, Myers said. The volunteers traveled on a snowmobile trail to about a quarter-mile from the shelter and then snowshoed to it, reaching the couple at 10:15 p.m. The SAR volunteers then brought the pair to the Edison Sno-Park trailhead, arriving around 11:30 p.m.

Myers said the sheriff’s office wanted to remind those recreating in the back country to ensure they carry the “10 essentials.”

1. Navigation (map and compass)
2.Sun protection (sunglasses and sunscreen)
3.Insulation (extra clothing)
4.Illumination (headlamp/flashlight)
5.First-aid supplies
6.Fire (waterproof matches/lighter/candles)
7.Repair kit and tools
8.Nutrition (extra food)
9.Hydration (extra water)
10.Emergency shelter