Three search and rescue operations end successfully

At about 8:30 a.m., a 53-year-old man from Illinois hiking the Timberline Trail around Mount Hood called and asked for assistance. Mark Dry reported he was exhausted from heat and not being acclimated to the elevation. Dry was given instruction and a map of trails on how to get down to Laurence Lake, which is a downhill hike in shaded timber area. Just before 3 p.m., Dry reached Laurance lake and was given a ride by Oregon State Police back to Timberline Lodge.

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Just after 2 p.m. that same day, a 23-year-old man from Vancouver, Wash., was hiking the Timberline Trail and reported he was having complications from asthma and needed assistance. Greg Stanphill said that he had forgotten an inhaler, was out of breath, vomited and could not hike further. Stanphill was hiking the trail alone from Timberline Lodge and intended to complete the entire 40 mile trail, returning to Timberline. He said a fellow hiker, an ER nurse, stopped to help him when he was in distress. Four members from the Hood River Crag Rat team ascended the Elk Meadows Trail in Hood River County. Just after 8 p.m., Stanphill was returned safely to the trailhead with assistance from the search team. He was in good condition and was able to return home. The nurse stayed with Stanphill the entire trip, ending his own trip around the mountain to provide assistance. 

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At about 4:30 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office was notified of a missing 86-year-old woman from Hood River who had been picking huckleberries with her husband. Elva Lane and her husband Ray were picking berries in the Red Hill area north of Mount Hood and west of Parkdale, in the Mt. Hood National Forest. They became separated at about 1:30 p.m. When Elva did not return to their vehicle, Ray called for assistance, worried about the possible heat exposure. Temperatures were near 100 degrees. Elva was reported to be in good health, but had no water or food. Searchers from the Hood River Crag Rats, who had been on the prior search incident, responded along with the Sheriff’s Office. The Hood River County Search and Rescue aircraft began an immediate search of the area.

As the search continued, Clackamas County Sheriff Search and Rescue responded to assist as well as a search team from Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue and Mountain Wave Search and Rescue. PNW SAR brought in a search dog as well. Just after 5 a.m. on July 31, a search team member from PNW located Elva Lane on a dirt road about 3 miles from the initial search location. Elva was healthy and in good condition after surviving the night lost in the forest. Her spirits were good and carried with her a bucket of huckleberries she was proud to have. 

Search Coordinator Bob Stewart from the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office said, “She is an amazingly tough lady.”  

Elva reported that after getting separated from her husband, she ended up down a steep ridge. She hiked through the night, finding the dirt roadway early that morning. Elva was reunited with Ray shortly after she was found.

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“We would like to thank the great cooperation with area search teams The Crag Rats, Pacific Northwest SAR, Mountain Wave SAR and the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office,” said a press release from the sheriff’s office. 

“It is unusual for us to have three search and rescue operations in one day and is an example of how many people are recreating in the forest this year.”