Oregon Hikers

https://katu.com/news/local/coast-guard ... cade-locks
https://1190kex.iheart.com/featured/por ... -in-gorge/

Out for four days, "possibly" fell from multiple cliffs? As always, wondering what the heck happened there.

The second article claims that he was found "about a mile from the trailhead." They all note that he'd apparently been out since Tuesday. That caught my eye because I hiked Herman Creek on Wednesday, and it struck me when I got there that there were 0 cars at either the official trailhead or the alternate.

When I saw this on the news, and they actually mentioned Gorton Creek, my first thought was that it was an Indian Point accident. That's a lot more than a mile from the trailhead, but news reports are rarely that accurate. I just don't see where else you fall off the Gorton Creek trail.

Looking at further reporting, I'm pretty sure he must have actually been out the Wyeth trailhead on Gorton Creek itself.

squidvicious wrote: ↑

January 24th, 2021, 1:39 pm

Looking at further reporting, I'm pretty sure he must have actually been out the Wyeth trailhead on Gorton Creek itself.

Perhaps he started at Wyeth, hiked the 400 to the Gorton Cr. Trail start at the junction of the Herman Cr. Trail, went up Gorton Cr. Trail and tried to bushwhack a shortcut back to the 400? That would explain falling off cliffs, and also why you didn't see any cars at the two possible Herman Cr. TH's. Incomplete news reporting in any event.

Lurch is a SAR guy and perhaps has more and better info - hey Lurch, can you find something out about this?

squidvicious wrote: ↑

January 24th, 2021, 1:39 pm

Looking at further reporting, I'm pretty sure he must have actually been out the Wyeth trailhead on Gorton Creek itself.

I agree. One news report indicates the hiker was found one mile in from the trailhead. We can speculate that the the hiker was actually found on the 400 trail one mile west of the Wyeth trailhead. Google Maps identifies the Wyeth trailhead as the "Wyeth/Gorton Creek" trailhead probably simply because the trailhead is near Gorton Creek.

What is above the location one mile from the Wyeth trailhead? Indian Point! If it's true it must have been a spectacular fall from Indian Point and the hiker is lucky to be alive. Every time I go out on Indian Point, I wonder how much risk others are willing to take to explore it (like scrambling up the "point" at the end)

johnspeth wrote: ↑

January 26th, 2021, 9:42 am

squidvicious wrote: ↑

January 24th, 2021, 1:39 pm

Looking at further reporting, I'm pretty sure he must have actually been out the Wyeth trailhead on Gorton Creek itself.

What is above the location one mile from the Wyeth trailhead? Indian Point! If it's true it must have been a spectacular fall from Indian Point and the hiker is lucky to be alive. Every time I go out on Indian Point, I wonder how much risk others are willing to take to explore it (like scrambling up the "point" at the end)

Having been up on Indian Point a number of times, you would not survive if you fell off of it. News reportage of hiking destinations is not usually too accurate - I would take the word "cliffs" with a grain of salt until there's more information.

If past news reports of SAR rescues are any indication, the only entirely reliable fact in this news report is that a hiker was rescued in the Columbia River gorge. Beyond that any further details might be an inaccurate picture of exactly what happened and where.

from the gofundme:

"After a snow covered trail hid the path of his hike, he did his best to find his way. Unfortunately, it took Morgan 4 days of trekking, several falls and extreme exposure to make his way somewhere he could be found"

obera wrote: ↑

January 27th, 2021, 3:38 pm

from the gofundme:

"After a snow covered trail hid the path of his hike, he did his best to find his way. Unfortunately, it took Morgan 4 days of trekking, several falls and extreme exposure to make his way somewhere he could be found"

I do not understand how "just turn around and go back" is not the default decision for people in this situation, unless you are a skilled navigator. Same goes for roads that are getting covered with deeper and deeper snow.

Hypothermia affects judgment. If it was involved, then it might explain some of the poor decision-making. But unless further details are published, we're all just speculating about very incomplete and confusing news reports.