This Just In: Search and Rescue Team Responds to Multiple Calls in Deschutes County

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Unit responded to three separate emergency calls in a single afternoon on Feb. 28. Rescuers assisted a stranded hiker, an injured skier and a crashed dirt bike rider during the series of incidents near Bend.

The operations involved coordination between the Sheriff's Office, Mt. Bachelor Ski Patrol, Airlink and Bend Fire & Rescue. The rescues took place over a period of roughly 90 minutes across various terrains including South Sister and the Dutchman Flat area.

The first response began at 2:57 p.m. for a female hiker from Bend who became stranded on South Sister. She had started her hike from a campsite at Devils Lake but was forced to turn around below Lewis Glacier because of icy snow conditions. Three search and rescue volunteers reached her using Airlink transport. Four additional volunteers hiked from Devils Lake with extra equipment to escort the uninjured woman back to her vehicle.

At 4:00 p.m., a second call was placed to assist an injured Nordic skier located between Todd Lake and the Dutchman Flat Sno-Park. Members of the Mt. Bachelor Ski Patrol responded on snowmobiles after finishing their shifts on the mountain. The patrol members located the skier and provided transportation back to the Dutchman Flat Sno-Park.

The final request for assistance came at 4:21 p.m. for a dirt bike rider who crashed on Ford Road. The incident occurred north of Pictograph Cave, outside of the China Hat closure boundary. Volunteers who were already staged for the skier call redirected to the scene on ATVs. Bend Fire & Rescue personnel eventually transported the male rider to a hospital.