Klamath Co. mushroom picker rescued after 3 nights in woods

A missing Klamath County man who failed to return from a mushroom hunting trip last week near Mount Scott was found cold and tired but otherwise alright Sunday afternoon, officials said Monday.

Here’s the full news release from Brian Bryson, KCSO Search and Rescue Commander:

The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office responded last Thursday to a report of a missing 56-year-old man who went mushroom picking in an area near the base of the eastern slope of Mount Scott.

The man, identified as Marty Holloway, was reported by family members after he failed to check in with them. The family had located Holloway’s vehicle and discovered that he left his phone and jacket in it, and worried that he was not prepared to stay out in the elements.

Based on this, Klamath County’s volunteer Search and Rescue teams were activated to locate Holloway. With limited clues as to which direction Holloway may have wandered, teams relied on information from family and friends to try and determine his direction of travel.

Over the course of the next three days, teams comprised of members of Klamath and Jackson County ground and mounted Search and Rescue, along with family and friends, used all available assets to attempt to locate Holloway while being hampered by incoming weather systems, to no avail.

On Sunday, at about 1 p.m., Klamath 911 dispatch received a call from a hiker in the area of the Pinnacles Trail to the south of Mt. Scott, inside the Crater Lake National Park boundaries.

The hiker had located a man who identified himself as Marty Holloway; he told them he had been lost for four days and needed help. Search teams were able to use GPS positioning from the hiker’s 911 phone call to pinpoint where Holloway was and coordinate his rescue.

Holloway miraculously survived three nights in rugged terrain with temperatures well below freezing and periods of heavy rain, wearing nothing but blue jeans and a T-shirt. He described sleeping inside a hollowed-out log and underneath brush to stay out of the elements.

He was not injured and only complained of being cold, tired and having multiple blisters on his feet. Holloway was able to walk out under his own power with assistance from park rangers and the hikers who located him.

Holloway’s ordeal serves as a reminder that if you go into the woods for any reason, please tell someone where you are going and when you plan to return. Be prepared in case of emergency with items such as warm, water-resistant clothing, a signaling device and extra food and water.

The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank everyone who helped in this search, as it could not have been accomplished without them: the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue teams, the National Park Service Park Rangers, and all of the friends and family of Holloway who assisted in covering various parts of the search area.