Lost Hiker Rescued After Spending a Dreadful Night on an Oregon Summit

After getting lost while climbing a mountain in Oregon, a hiker had to spend nearly 24 hours on the peak with dreadful weather.

SAR helicopter in the mountains / Unsplash

On September 14, a hiker set out to climb South Sister, a 10,358' peak in Oregon. However, the day took a frightful turn when the hiker lost the trail.

At approximately 4:02 p.m. on September 14, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team received a call notifying them of a lost hiker, as stated in their news report. Although the hiker was believed to be in Lane County, the Deschutes County team took action.

The Sheriff's Office stated that the exact location of the missing hiker was not known as the attempted cell phone pings weren't reliable.

Due to terrible weather conditions on the mountain, the Oregon Army National Guard helicopter that was contacted was unable to respond to the call. Fog was surrounding the mountain, accompanied by sleet, making it difficult for a rescue operation to occur. The hiker had no choice but to stay put high up on the mountain.

"On the evening of September 14th, a SAR team was activated from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue. A 9 member SAR team began climbing South Sister and climbed throughout the night," stated Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. "At approximately 6:00 a.m., on September 15, 2024, members of the SAR [team] located the missing subject off the west side of the South Sister summit."

Once the hiker was located, the rescue team provided food, water, and warmth as conditions continued getting worse. As a result, the helicopters were not able to reach the summit with the relentless fog.

"By 3:00 p.m., the Oregon Army National Guard helicopter had made several valiant attempts to reach the summit but were unable to reach our teams due to poor weather conditions," stated the Sheriff's Office. "The decision was made for the SAR team members to hike off the mountain with the lost hiker."

Hours later, after the grueling hike down, the lost individual returned to the base of the mountain with the assistance of the skilled rescue teams.

South Sister is the third-highest mountain in Oregon and is known for its treacherous terrain. Despite this, the rescue operation was successful and the hiker miraculously survived their unexpected night on the mountain.