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Oregon Badlands camper lost overnight, found by SAR

Rescuers Find Lost Hiker After Night in Badlands
Portland-Area Camper Took Shelter in Cave
By Barney Lerten, KTVZ.COM
March 5, 2011

A Portland-area camper who became lost while hiking in the Oregon Badlands Wilderness Area east of Bend spent much of a long, cold and rainy Friday night in a cave but was found in generally good shape
Saturday by a horse team, among more than 50 searchers from two counties who spent the night looking for him.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies and Sheriff’s Search and Rescue were dispatched around 6:30 p.m. Friday to a report of a lost hiker in the wilderness area, deputies Rhett Hemphill and Jim Whitcomb said in a
news release.

Nearly 40 SAR members responded and began to look for Aaron Licudine, 24, of West Linn, they said. The searchers used horse, tracking and ATV teams, as well as ground searchers and a private helicopter.

More than a dozen Crook County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue members also responded to assist in the search, the deputies said.

Licudine had been camping in the wilderness near the County Line Road Staging area, deputies said. He left the camp around noon Friday to go hiking.

Licudine, who had no cell phone, became lost and wandered around for about five hours, until after dark, they said.

When he failed to return to the campsite, a companion called 911 around 6:30 p.m. to report him missing.

Licudine, cold and getting wet, found a cave to take shelter in and get out of the rain, as temperatures overnight fell to around freezing, Hemphill said.

He told rescuers he spent most of the night in the cave, deciding in the early morning to start walking and try to get warm.

Around 9 a.m., Saturday, horse team found Licudine around five miles from his camp site, cold, wet and hungry but otherwise okay, Hemphill said.

Rescuers gave him food, water and warm clothing, then took him back to his camp, where he was united with his companion, deputies said.

Hemphill said cell phones do work in the area, and that Licudine also had no map, GPS or compass with him -- nor any food or water. He was wearing only camouflage pants and a sweatshirt at the time he became
lost

http://www.ktvz.com/news/27094334/detail.html

Badlands Hiker's Rescue Prompts Safety Reminders
Portland-Area Camper Took Shelter in Cave, Carried No Essentials
By Barney Lerten and Joe Burns, KTVZ.COM
March 6, 2011
A Portland-area camper who became lost while hiking in the Badlands Wilderness Area east of Bend spent much of a long, cold and rainy Friday night in a cave but was found in generally good shape
Saturday by a horse team, among more than 50 searchers from two counties who spent the night looking for him.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies and Sheriff’s Search and Rescue were dispatched around 6:30 p.m. Friday to a report of a lost hiker in the wilderness area, deputies Rhett Hemphill and Jim Whitcomb said in a
news release.

Nearly 40 SAR members responded and began to look for Aaron Licudine, 24, of West Linn, they said. The searchers used horse, tracking and ATV teams, as well as ground searchers and a private helicopter.

More than a dozen Crook County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue members also responded to assist in the search, the deputies said.

Licudine had been camping in the wilderness near the County Line Road Staging area, deputies said. He left the camp around noon Friday to go hiking.

Licudine, who had no cell phone, became lost and wandered around for about five hours, until after dark, they said.

When he failed to return to the campsite, a companion called 911 around 6:30 p.m. to report him missing.

Licudine, cold and getting wet, found a cave to take shelter in and get out of the rain, as temperatures overnight fell to around freezing, Hemphill said.

He told rescuers he spent most of the night in the cave, deciding in the early morning to start walking and try to get warm.

Around 9 a.m., Saturday, horse team found Licudine around five miles from his camp site, cold, wet and hungry but otherwise okay, Hemphill said.

Rescuers gave him food, water and warm clothing, then took him back to his camp, where he was united with his companion, deputies said.

Hemphill said cell phones do work in the area, and that Licudine also had no map, GPS or compass with him -- nor any food or water. He was wearing only camouflage pants and a sweatshirt at the time he became
lost.

Experts say cell phone, map and compass are the essentials you should always have on you.

Robert Speik, Bend hiking expert and author of the Website www.traditionalmountaineering.org, says it's very easy to become lost in the Badlands.

Speik described Sunday how a Friend of the Badlands was taking a group of people on a short hike in the Badlands and became lost and overdue for an hour and half. But he was rescued quickly because he finally used a cell phone to get directions back to the waiting cars.

Speik also says he sees a lot of people who blow by the reader board on the Badlands and don't pick up a map.

"A huge number of people, horses, helicopters and everything, looked for this man, a tremendous use of resources, not needed had he simply had a map, compass and a cell phone, let alone water, candy bars, extra clothing and rain gear" Speik said.

Speik says maps should be available at all the trailheads. He recommends people pick them up and study them before adventuring out and staying found as they hike.

Speik also recommends buying a light day pack to fill with enough food, water and warm clothing for at least overnight.


Showing some of 17 comments
Newest first

60yearresident 1 hour ago
You can buy a good compass with instructions for less than 10 bucks. Sheece! They don't lie and never fail to work and the ONLY thing that will always work! Would have save a lot of time and money.

Wilderness area huh? Then what's up with the ATV's?

Jarhead1 3 hours ago
He needs to find the nearest Cub Scout Den and enroll.

hppycmpr 3 hours ago
The article keeps stressing a cell phone, and a gps which are both devices that can fail. What is needed is map, compass, and a way to start a fire to keep warm.

FobbitManager 3 hours ago
“Friends of Oregon Badlands Wilderness” is a volunteer organization with a stewardship role, working closely with the BLM. Over the past 4 years, we have racked up thousands of volunteer hours, amongst many
other tasks, maintaining trailheads and installing and repairing signs. All the main trailheads have large kiosks with reader boards featuring up-to-date maps, and map boxes, which is our responsibility to keep full. But sometimes it’s a hard job to keep pace with the vandalism. Map boxes have disappeared, with the maps. We are now installing stronger metal map boxes, to prevent the theft. Directional signs, (that cost us money from our very meager funds), made in keeping with the Wilderness concept are stolen and vandalized regularly. And we replace them regularly. We are currently working with the BLM at researching and installing stronger signs at appropriate and crucial locations that will make them harder to steal and remove. The reason we stock the map boxes and install signs, without detracting from a Wilderness experience, is to enhance visitor’s experiences to the Oregon Badlands Wilderness and preventing this type of incident that happened recently. Leading educational hikes and performing our stewardship role regularly in the Badlands, I am very familiar with the area in which Aaron got lost; the largest and wildest lava flow formations and biggest juniper trees are to be found in this area, and in fact, it is easy to get turned around if cloudy. A compass certainly would have helped Aaron, along with a map which is on the Friends of the Oregon Badlands Wilderness brochure, together with mileages, compass directions and GPS waypoints at trailheads. Some people just don’t use a GPS, some people don’t use a compass or read a map. Some people make mistakes, which is what Aaron seemed to have done. It’s an officially designated Wilderness, so designated that “man is only a visitor”, so you can experience solitude, serenity and silence.

warrentug 6 hours ago
It is almost impossible to get lost in the Badlands, in all four directions you have land marks...Horse Ridge, Bear Butte, Powell Butte and Pilot Butte. Not to mention the power lines on one side and the Aspen trees from the farms on the other side. People getting even temporarily lost there should never leave the road, any where, any time since they must be blind! Just kidding. Please be safe and bring a GPS with you in the woods or out on BLM if you are not "good" at navigating by land marks.

Robert_Speik 1 hour ago in reply to warrentug
Hello Warren-
Your advice to bring a GPS to The Badlands is great!

Another commentator states that "The article keeps stressing a cell phone, and a gps which are both devices that can fail. What is needed is map, compass, and a way to start a fire to keep warm."

Current hand held hiking GPS receivers are powered by two common AA batteries that last 14 to 18 hours and more and can be replaced in a moment. Yes, you are not Prepared unless you carry a couple of extra
AA batteries in your day pack with your map, compass, water, snack bars (not jerky), extra lite but warm non-cotton clothing layers (that you can put on as it gets colder) and very lite and inexpensive rain pants and
jacket. Current GPS models are very sturdy. (I note that a car can fail but I still use a car.)

Yes, lite things to start a fire are good to carry, but like a map and compass, you must learn to use them (in the rain from wood that has been frozen for a few months). Study the "Ten Essential Systems" I reference in a post, below.

The problem is to find your camp, not to find a power line or road that may be 15 miles away. The young man was not "lost" , he just could not find his camp.

It is fun to learn to use    map, compass and GPS together      Google this phrase!
--Robert Speik

angry10 11 hours ago
I grew up right next to the badlands and see it changed over 30+ some years.-- they should have kept it open for people who want to ride atvs through there if people stayed on the roads due that there is lot of
horse traps out there and also more caves to get to and other stuff to see if person just doesn't' want to walk for 20 miles or so.. that guy that got lost was not smart he should at least have a whistle and matches to keep warm and way to communicate with his buddy-- he could have used walkie talkies to communicate with his buddy if didn't have a cell phone.-- besides being that close to residential area if camping close to the
badland trail heads-- sometimes these hunters don't think due that there are people living in that area and all it takes is 1 stray bullet and someone could get killed or livestock!!!!!-- if person is not familiar with the area
that they are camping in get materials to study to educate yourself on the area you are staying in..-- if not just stay home, those people don't need to be out in the wilderness and use up major resources when can be unnecessary.

Awareguy 18 hours ago
This guy was the poster child of what NOT to do.......read and study his habits.....then do the opposite.

Robert_Speik 20 hours ago
Folks need to understand and respect our urban Wilderness of 31,000 high desert acres. Congressionally mandated a "Wilderness" a couple of years ago, the Oregon Badlands legally can not be managed like a
county park. There are a few trail sign posts but no markers on indistinct trails between low key junctions. Visitors need a map and a compass too.

There are free maps at the several Trail Head locations. At a minimum, a hiker needs a map, a compass and the skills to use them together. Jim Witty always explored The Badlands with USGS quad topo map, a
plastic base plate compass adjusted for 17 degrees declination, a simple Garmin eTrex GPS and the skills to use them. Jim died before his time, but his stories of trails and adventures near Bend are available in "Meet Me in the Badlands" available at REI and local stores.

Jim never ventured far without the "Ten Essential Systems", gear he carried in a light day pack sized for the adventure, the season and the forecast Oregon weather. Jim Witty followed the "Four Basic
Responsibilities" of the backcountry traveler.

Mr. Licudine's simple act of carelessness - a failure to Be Prepared - cost thousands of dollars of taxpayer expense. (He will not be charged any more than for using the Library or the Court house or the Fire
Department).

Had he simply carried the ordinary cell phone instead of leaving it at his campsite, he could have been located (by Federally required cell phone triangulation) through a call to 911 and better yet, he could have
talked directly to the SAR Incident Commander and been directed back to his camp or located quickly by horseback.

I was interviewed by KTVZ today, and I fear I did badly. I tried to say to much. You be the judge. I will be on the Five O'clock News. I will ask Barney Lerten to post the Five Basic Responsibilities of the backcountry
traveler and the Ten Essential Systems on KTVZ.com as a side bar on how to actually "Be Prepared". Or download them here: http://traditionalmountaineering.org/Page2.htm
--Robert Speik

jeremia2 5 hours ago in reply to Robert_Speik
Sound advice, Bob. Thanks for sharing. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women who volunteer their time and resources selflessly in search and rescue efforts. As a back country and outdoors enthusiast all my life, I know the importance of proper gear, training and experience, as well as common sense. I have found that one of the greatest dangers when out-of-doors in a tenuous situation is panic- where even the most seasoned adventurers make mistakes. I'm thankful for the existence of SAR and similar organizations. Let's continue to educate and help others with limited outdoor experience to benefit from programs offered by REI and other groups.

rfo 12 hours ago in reply to Robert_Speik
Oh yes,, one more thing. So I don't sound like one who only makes suggestions without qualifiers, let me add that a good way to get started educating the public as to "how to" in this case would be to try the following. Produce a video on the "seasonal" suggestions for novice outdoors people, the profits from which could add to the operating capital of Search and Rescue.

rfo 12 hours ago in reply to Robert_Speik
Proper handling of a "wilderness" experience is more than equipment. Though the "gear" helps, there is a lot more to handling situations such as this. Nothing will ever replace skills and training followed by
experience. While I originally posted a "smart guy" remark on this story, I have always preached personal responsibility and mental preparedness for effectively coping with the outdoors.

Years of back country travel when I was younger taught me that all the gear in the world won't do you a bit of good unless you have a skill set for what you're doing. Search and rescue is a wonderful thing however
may I suggest they get more into the educational aspect of back country travel and be a friend to the novices out there. Respectfully.

DirectorX 14 hours ago in reply to Robert_Speik
While Robert I agree, I believe you need to get down of your high horse. People do make mistakes that is why by definition they are "mistakes". He did not set out maliciously to get lost or to cost the taxpayers extra
money. Teach people about what to do and stop berating this person. as I am sure getting lost was enough of a lesson.

On another note, not everyone owns a cell phone or trusts the use of one.

Life is a bunch of ifs thanks for the help you offer to people, just remember not everyone was born perfect, that's why you get to do what you do.

Barney Lerten 20 hours ago in reply to Robert_Speik
Bob, our Sunday news is on at 6. And yep, that's the trick, there's always more to say. Thanks for talking with us today.

OldTimerOriginal 1 day ago
Curious. With the use of a private helicopter it seems that there are folks or groups...or organizations who may have the funds for a thermal imaging camera/device? Know they can be priceless in rescues and fire
rescues as well. Just wondering if anyone has thought of this? And, GREAT JOB! That is a real testament to our SAR group. All these people and their equipment pouring out to save their fellow man.

rfo 1 day ago
Portlanders are the number one reason our local Search and Rescue people are so good. They give them a lot of practice........

http://www.ktvz.com/news/27094334/detail.html

Hiker found safe after spending night in cave
bendbulletin.com
March 07. 2011
A hiker missing overnight in the Badlands Wilderness Area east of Bend was found safe Saturday after spending the night in a cave.

Aaron Licudine, 24, of West Linn, was reported missing Friday evening.

Licudine was camping with a friend near the County Line Road staging area and left to go hiking around 12 p.m. Friday.

He became lost and wandered for five hours until it was dark, and at 6:30 p.m. his friend called authorities to report him missing.

Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue brought out horse, tracking, ground search and all-terrain vehicle teams to look for Licudine.

Searchers also used a private helicopter.

On Friday night, Licudine found a cave to stay dry; early Saturday, he started walking to get warm, and was found by a horse team about five miles from his campsite.

http://bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110307/NEWS0107/103070344/1001/NEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01

Note that Barney Lerten of KTVZ.com added much of the helpful detail in the TV coverage, through several interviews with Deputies Rhett Hemphill and Jim Whitcomb who wrote the short bare bones Press Release above.

 

1. Practice the Four Basic Responsibilities of the Backcountry Traveler. They work!  Basic Responsibilities

5. Always hunt with others unless you are very fit and experienced and have hunted here before.

A suggested minimum standard news advisory for all backcountry travelers!

"We would like to take this opportunity to ask our visitors to the backcountry of Oregon to Plan for the unexpected. Each person should dress for the forecast weather and take minimum extra clothing to provide protection from a drop in temperature and possible rain or snow storm or an unexpected cold wet night out. Each person should carry high carbohydrate snacks, two quarts of water or Gatorade, a topo map and declination adjusted base plate compass and an optional inexpensive GPS (and the skills to use them together). Each person who has a cell phone should carry their ordinary charged cell phone (from a service provider that has the best local backcountry coverage). An inexpensive SPOT-2 GPS Satellite Communicator is a good additional option for some. Each person should carry their selected items from the new 'Ten Essentials Systems' in a day pack sized for the individual, the trip, the season and the forecast weather."

"Visitors are reminded to tell a Responsible Person where they are going, where they plan to park, when they will be back and to make sure that person understands that they are relied upon to call 911 at a certain time if the backcountry traveler has not returned. Call 911 as soon as you become lost or stranded. You will not be charged. Do not try to find your way until you are benighted, exhausted, or worse yet - wet. Your ordinary cell phone call to 911 can take the 'Search' out of Search and Rescue."

THE MISSION of TraditionalMountaineering.org

"To provide information and instruction about world-wide basic to advanced alpine mountain climbing safety skills and gear, on and off trail hiking, scrambling and light and fast Leave No Trace backpacking techniques based on the foundation of an appreciation for the Stewardship of the Land, all illustrated through photographs and accounts of actual shared mountaineering adventures."

TraditionalMountaineering is founded on the premise that "He who knows naught, knows not that he knows naught", that exploring the hills and summitting peaks have dangers that are hidden to the un-informed and that these inherent risks can be in part, identified and mitigated by mentoring: information, training, wonderful gear, and knowledge gained through the experiences of others.

The value of TraditionalMountaineering to our Friends and Subscribers is the selectivity of the information we provide, and its relevance to introducing folks to informed hiking on the trail, exploring off the trail, mountain travel and Leave-no-Trace light-weight bivy and backpacking, technical travel over steep snow, rock and ice, technical glacier travel and a little technical rock climbing on the way to the summit. Whatever your capabilities and interests, there is a place for everyone in traditional alpine mountaineering.

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