Hiker Found Alive After Texting Girlfriend for Help. When Authorities Reached Him, He Was Out of Water and Food

Authorities found a lost hiker who ran out of food and water amid freezing temperatures on Oregon’s Mount McLoughlin over the weekend. 

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that the unnamed 40-year-old hiker from Central Point set out alone to climb the mountain, which measures 9,493 feet, on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 28.

“After summiting, he began his return but shortly lost the trail and veered south into untracked terrain," the sheriff’s office said. “After several hours travel over broken volcanic rock he texted his girlfriend advising he was lost, running out of food and water, with his cell phone battery running low.”

Around 5 p.m. local time, the man sent out a text for help, after which his girlfriend relayed the request to an emergency dispatcher, authorities added. Search and rescue team members were then able to locate him using cell phone forensics. Officials told the man to stay put while help was on the way. 

First responders arrived at the scene by hiking up from Highway 140 through "dense foliage and over lava fields consisting of boulders the size of small cars.” They found the man around 9:30 p.m. 

At the time of his rescue, the man was only wearing a cotton T-shirt and shorts, per the sheriff’s office. They said that while the mountain’s daytime temperatures can enter into the 80s, the overnight temperatures can dip to about 29 degrees. 

“He was out of water and food, and suffering from mild cramping in his legs due to dehydration and fatigue,” the sheriff’s office -

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said of the man’s condition.

First responders and a physician evaluated the hiker as he was rehydrated and fed high energy snacks, said authorities. They determined the man was well enough to hike down with help. 

When he reached Highway 140, the man was taken to his car at the Pacific Crest Trail trailhead. He drove home by himself at approximately 12:30 a.m., the sheriff’s office said. 

Jackson County Search and Rescue Sgt. Shawn Richards noted that "while Mt. McLoughlin is enticing to hike because it is visible from the Rogue Valley and looks easy, hikers should take more water than they think they need and never hike alone."

He added, "Hikers should have a good paper or electronic map and familiarize themselves with the route, as it is very hard to identify near the summit. Moisture wicking clothing (not cotton) worn in layers, and a wind shell are essential to survival."

The Forest Service said that some hikers on Mount McLoughlin each year either become disoriented or lost during the descent because they went down a path that was different from when they first ascended.

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To avoid getting lost or disoriented, the agency said hikers “should return back down the ridge, keeping the poles in sight until the trail leaves the ridge.”

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