Pacific Crest Trail hiker hurt by falling rock, calls for help

A Portland-area man on a solo hike of the Pacific Crest Trail sent a distress message Wednesday, saying he’d been injured by a falling rock, prompting a rescue effort that lasted until after dark, officials said.

Deschutes County dispatchers got a 911 call around 12:40 p.m. from a family member of Pacific Crest solo hiker Cory Mills, 34, of Happy Valley, said sheriff’s Deputy Josh Westfall, assistant search and rescue coordinator.

The family member reportedly received a distress message from Mills, saying he had gone off trail to hike The Husband, a mountain in Lane County west of the Three Sisters, but a rock had fallen on and injured him. The message also stated ” 911, ” Westfall said.

More details, including whether the injury disabled Mills, were not available.

After the family member called 911, two sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area. Attempts to reach Mills by cellphone were unsuccessful, Westfall said, and the cellphone carrier was unable to provide coordinates for his location.

Other attempts to determine his location also were unsuccessful, Westfall said. AirLink and Life Flight were contacted for assistance but were unable to fly due to thunderstorms in the area.

Deputies also contacted the Lane County Sheriff’s Office about the call and to help coordinate the rescue, Westfall said. Lane County sent two search teams in, one from the north and other from the west.

Meanwhile, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue sent a team of six volunteers from the Devils Lake Trailhead to the PCT. Two deputies stayed at headquarters to coordinate the rescue effort.

The Deschutes County volunteers found Mills on the PCT in Lane County, about 4 1/ 2 miles from the Devils Lake Trailhead, Westfall said.

Mills said he had been hiking out with non-life-threatening injuries but was unable to send out further messages due to poor cellphone service in the area.

SAR medics evaluated and treated Mills, the helped him back to the Devils Lake Trailhead, arriving around 9:30 p.m. He declined further medical help on the scene and was taken by a friend to St. Charles Bend for further treatment.

Westfall said Mills was well-equipped for his hike and had provided family members with his route. The sheriff’s office encouraged the public to consider alternate communication devices due to unreliable cellphone coverage while recreating in the wilderness.