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Two lost hikers rescued in Three Sisters Wilderness

Two lost hikers rescued in Three Sisters Wilderness
By KTVZ.COM news sources
July 14, 2012

Two East Coast visitors planning to hike South Sister lost the trail amid mid-July snowdrifts Friday afternoon and eventually called 911, prompting a rescue operation that took more than three hours to complete,
officials said.

Shortly before 4 p.m., Deschutes County 911 dispatchers received a call from Melissa Keal, 21, of Philadelphia, who said she and fellow hiker Kendra Seblett, 21, of Elkview, W. Va., were lost somewhere below the
mountain, in the Three Sisters Wilderness, said sheriff’s Deputy Mike Biondi, assistant Search and Rescue coordinator.

Keal told dispatchers that at some point during their hike, they had wandered off the trail and ended up southeast of Moraine Lake before calling 911, Biondi said.

Keal advised the hikers were lightly equipped, had no map, compass or GPS and were not dressed for an overnight stay, Biondi said.

Sheriff’s deputies were able to make contact with the hikers, who each were carrying a cell phone. Biondi said they called 911 on both cell phones so the dispatch center could obtain “pings” and help deputies
determine where the hikers likely were.

Seven SAR volunteers responded to the area and began to climb the hiking trails from both the Green Lakes and Devils Lake trailheads, Biondi said.

The two women were located near the Green Lakes trail around 7:30 p.m. and were escorted back down the trail to the trailhead, then driven to their vehicle.

Biondi said rescuers learned the pair had left the Devils Lake trailhead, intending to summit the South Sister, but lost the trail due to intermittent snow drifts that covered the area. They became disoriented and
wandered around in the area before calling 911.

Biondi said the sheriff’s office wanted to remind those recreating in the backcountry to bring some essential items along, including extra food and water, a map and compass or GPS, extra clothing, a light source, first aid supplies, fire-starting materials and some type of shelter. (See our suggestions, below.)
Copyright 2012 KTVZ. All rights reserved.

Comments
Guest541
Can't wait for those "who's gonna pay for the rescue" comments... :)
Seriously, though, it is plain irresponsible and silly to try any wilderness hiking without a map, GPS, and/or a compass. These two women should have known better.

Outsideallthetime
True, they where not properly prepared. I could see that since they came from Pennsylvania and West Virginia they might not fully appreciate the difficulties they could find with our local terrain and weather.
As much as I see the Forest Service's new visitor center as a bit of a boondoggle it is just these types of visitors it could help. Just trying to look on the bright side of that...

Guest541
Yes, I don't think they understood the ruggedness of the mountains and wilderness here in Central Oregon. Or maybe they did, but they ignored it, which would be even more wrong. In any case, I am glad they are
OK, and I hope they learned something out of this ordeal.

60yearresident
These are the types people who die in the wilderness! If you are involved in an automobile accident and are transported by ambulance, and you will pay why not have to pay for S&R when you have a dumb ass
attack?

Barney Lerten, Content Director/KTVZ.COM Moderator
Because, as explained here many times, SAR personnel don't want people billed -- in part because it's a largely volunteer operation, and also because if you bill then folks will wait until they are in more dire straits
before calling for help - thus putting those volunteer rescuers in significantly more danger themselves.

http://www.ktvz.com/news/Two-lost-hikers-rescued-in-Three-Sisters-Wilderness/-/413192/15516694/-/5krn1lz/-/index.html
 

What can be learned from this interesting incident?

Here are some Basic suggestions for all backcountry travelers

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

2. Carry the new Ten Essential Systems, sized for the forecast weather and the adventure in a light day pack. This includes a map, compass and GPS and the skills to use them. In the winter, this includes enough extra insulation and waterproof clothing to keep you dry and warm if you become stranded. In snow, you must have a shovel and insulating pad and the skills to make a shelter in the snow to avoid hypothermia and frost bite damage. It works!  Ten Essential Systems

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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