A Marion County deputy followed bare footprints to a man lost in the snow
Forest deputy Derrick Ramseyer tracked prints for nearly five miles near Breitenbush Lake. He found a man in a sleeping bag after four days outside. Medics treated him for the cold.
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On October 30, Marion County forest deputy Derrick Ramseyer was patrolling near Breitenbush Lake, along the Pacific Crest Trail north of Mount Jefferson, when he found footprints in a few inches of new snow, the Statesman Journal reported. One print showed a shoe. The other looked bare. He followed the tracks for nearly five miles.
The tracks led to Forest Service Road 4220, a rough road along the Mount Jefferson Wilderness. Ramseyer found a man, whose name was not released, wrapped in a sleeping bag. The sheriff's office said the man had been lost for four days. He was taken to Detroit, where medics treated him for exposure, and then to Santiam Hospital for frostbite and hypothermia.
The sheriff's office said Ramseyer's attention likely saved the man's life. It also reminded hikers that weather changes quickly at those elevations, and that a satellite messenger is worth carrying.
Heroes in OregonDetroit, OregonPoliceSearch and rescueFirst respondersGood news on October 31
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