Solo hiker lost near South Sister summit prompts 26-hour, two-county, two-helicopter rescue effort in worsening weather
SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A 32-year-old Beaverton man got lost on a solo hike to the summit of South Sister last weekend as fog and bad weather moved in, prompting a challenging 26-hour rescue effort involving both Deschutes and Lane County searchers and two helicopters that could not land due to the worsening weather.
Instead, Search and Rescue team members hiked up, then down the mountain with the climber as steady snow began falling, Deschutes County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Coordinator Lt. Ty Rupert said Wednesday in recounting the sequent of events.
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue was dispatched just after 4 p.m. Saturday to help the lost hiker near South Sisters' 10,358-foot summit. The man was determined to be on the Lane County side of the mountain, but Deschutes SAR was requested due to shorter response times.
Lane County SAR also advised they were requesting an Oregon Army National Guard helicopter, but due to the late time of day and weather condition, the Guard advised they would have to wait to launch until Sunday morning.
"Initially, we did not have an exact location for the lost subject," Rupert said, as cellphone pings "were found to be unreliable."
As a result, DCSO SAR requested assistance from an AirLink helicopter crew to fly two SAR members toward the summit, to try to find the man. However, they were unable to locate the hiker due to fog enveloping the summit.
Saturday evening, a nine-member Deschutes County SAR team began climbing South Sister, climbing throughout the night. Around 6 a.m. Sunday, members of the team found the man off the west side of the summit, provided him with care and began warming and feeding the climber.
Around 10:30 a.m., the SAR team and the lost climber returned to the summit to wait for the National Guard helicopter. Weather was variable at the time, Rupert said, with sun, clouds and sleet.
Due to concerns with the weather blocking helicopter access to the summit, another group of SAR volunteers responded to the mountain to assist the SAR teams who had been there for nearly 24 hours in bad weather, Rupert said.
A team of eight Deschutes County SAR members and another team of five Lane County SAR members responded and began climbing South Sister to assist.
By 3 p.m., Sunday, Rupert said the Guard helicopter crew "had made several valiant attempts to reach the summit but were unable to reach our teams due to poor weather conditions."
As a result, the decision was made for the SAR teams to hike down the peak with the lost hiker. "The weather had turned worse and was now snowing continuously," Rupert said.
All SAR teams along with the lost hiker returned safely to the Devil’s Lake Trailhead around 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the lieutenant, who added, "The hiker was very grateful of the efforts given by all SAR members to get them off the mountain safely."
A total of 27 Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office SAR team members and nine Lane County Sheriff’s Office SAR team members, along with the Oregon Army National Guard and AirLink, assisted to get the lost hiker off the mountain.
"The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public to make sure when exploring the outdoors to always be prepared and make sure you have the proper equipment, including clothing, food, water, shelter and navigation equipment, and always be prepared for the weather conditions to change," Rupert concluded.
