Rescued snow camper: ‘I thought I was a goner’

(Update: Comments from rescued camper)

A Pennsylvania man who camped overnight in the snowy cold east of Bend — and whose feet and lower legs became numb as a result — called for help and was rescued on horseback Tuesday, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue officials said. Now he’s walking again, and talked Wednesday with NewsChannel 21 about what happened.

County 911 dispatchers got a call around 7:20 a.m. Tuesday from Jesse Bupp, 25, of Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania, who had camped overnight on the Tumulus Trail, accessed off Walker Road, sheriff’s Lt. Bryan Husband, SAR coordinator, said in a news release.

Husband said Bupp, a father of two, told dispatchers he was extremely cold and could not walk due to his feet and lower legs being completely numb and possibly frostbitten.

“I’m pretty much frozen in place,” Bupp said in a Facebook video. “The only thing that’s not frozen is my chest and my head and my fingers. Pretty much from my waist down is like completely frozen.”

After falling asleep in his tent, Bupp said he woke up about 1 a.m. with cold feet. Not thinking much of it, he went back to sleep, waking again about 4 o’clock — this time, his feet were colder and his legs were starting to get cold, too. He went back to sleep, thinking he could warm up when the sun came up.

But around 6:30 a.m., Bupp woke up again — this time to find his feet purple and his legs completely numb up to his knees. He could not walk or move his legs at all.

Bupp said he dragged himself outside to make a fire and called 911 after waiting about 10 minutes to get a cellphone signal. SAR found him about six hours later, but before he saw that signal, he was in a surreal place.

“It was very, very scary,” Bupp said. “I thought I was going to die. I thought there was no possible way I was going to escape this, whatsoever. I thought that I was a goner, that my children are going to be left behind without a father.”

Waiting for SAR to find him seemed like an eternity.

“I waited and I waited and I waited and I waited,” Bupp said. “About every 30 minutes, I’d scream out, ‘Help! Help! Is anybody there?’ I didn’t hear anything for a good five to six hours. Then I screamed out ‘Help! Help!’ Then I heard people. They’re like, ‘We’re here! We’re here!'”

Bupp reported having the appropriate clothing for the conditions, as well as food and water, although his water supply had frozen overnight.

Nine Search and Rescue volunteers, one SAR horse and a deputy responded to the Tumulus Trailhead and hiked about 5 1/2 miles, reaching Bupp’s location around 11:30 a.m., Husband said.

Bupp was provided warm clothing, blankets and fluids, but he was not able to stand or walk under his own power due to the condition of his feet. It was determined Bupp could safely ride on horseback, and he was assisted onto the SAR horse. Bupp’s camp was packed up and he was led out by the SAR volunteers.

Bend Fire Department personnel, as well as volunteers from the Alfalfa Fire District, met the DCSO SAR volunteers and Bupp at the Tumulus Trailhead around 1:45 p.m. Fire medics took Bupp to St. Charles Bend for further evaluation.

Husband said Bupp had many appropriate supplies needed for camping in winter weather conditions, including many warm clothing layers, food, water, fire-starting material, GPS, cellphone with charging device, etc. However, he did not have a sleeping pad to act as a barrier between his sleeping bag and the cold ground, which most likely sped up the process of him becoming cold.

Bupp said he got minor frostbite on his feet, which does permanent damage to muscle tissue. He said doctors told him not to walk too much, but in a few months, he said, he should be able to hike again.