Mushroom Hunter Found and Airlifted to Safety
In a heartwarming turn of events on Thanksgiving Day, Benton County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) search and rescue teams successfully located a missing male looking for mushrooms off Botkin Road, west of Philomath.
The individual, a 77-year-old male from Corvallis, had been reported missing by a family member at approximately 9:30 pm on Wednesday, November 22.
The search operation, which involved the Benton County Sheriff’s Office Marys Peak Search and Rescue, Corvallis Mountain Rescue Unit, and Region 3 K9 Search & Rescue were called out to search for the hiker Wednesday night.
Search efforts continued on Thanksgiving Day with additional assistance from Linn County Sheriff’s Office, Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Searchers located the missing man on Thursday, November 23 at approximately 3:30 pm, down a steep drainage near a creek. The male was in a weakened state after a recent back surgery and unable to hear the rescuers due to the absence of his hearing aids. Since temperatures dropped, the man said he tried to stay moving throughout the night to stay warm. Unfortunately, he did not have a whistle or other essential gear with him and was wearing wool socks with crocs.
The male was rescued approximately a mile and a half from his vehicle and immediately airlifted to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis for further medical assessment and care.
“Thank you to all who helped on this mission,” stated Sheriff Van Arsdall. “Many volunteers sacrificed time away from family and friends on Thanksgiving Day to ensure this search had a positive outcome. We know you don’t do it for recognition but want the community to know what amazing resources our Office has, to keep the community safe.”
In light of this incident, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office would like to emphasize the importance of being prepared. To assist hikers in ensuring their safety, they would like to highlight ten essential items recommended by the American Hiking Society. To learn more about these essential items, please visit https://americanhiking.org/resources/10essentials/.