Search and rescue crews helped two unrelated individuals during the same mission on Oct. 26 in the Jeff Park wilderness area in Marion County, after both people got stranded due to snow conditions. In two separate incidents, 23-year-old Australian mountain biker Jack Robbers and 28-year-old Canadian hiker Sanja Tesic were stuck just miles apart due to heavy snow. State search and rescue, along with the Oregon Army National Guard Aviation, airlifted both individuals in a Black Hawk Helicopter.
Robbers, from Sydney, Australia was biking on a trail near Hawk Mountain when he got stuck in a 4- to 5-foot snowdrift, according to a press release. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office received an alert from the missing person’s father, stating that his son, Jack, had texted him, telling him he was stranded without cold weather gear. Robbers was able to keep warm overnight in an existing hiking trail shelter that had firewood.
At the same time, just 11.5 miles away, Canadian hiker Sanja Tesic was hiking on the Pacific Coast Trail when she got caught in whiteout conditions for two days. According to the press release, Tesic activated her In-Reach GPS device on Tue., Oct. 24, giving authorities her location.
Ground SAR teams attempted to rescue Tesic earlier but were unable to reach her due to fallen trees and heavy snow. Tesic was able to stay dry the first night but was soaking wet by the time rescuers found her. Rescuers were able to warm her up with hypothermia blankets. The two individuals were flown to the Detroit Lake Ranger Station to receive medical attention before being taken to Salem.
“The weather conditions delayed the operation because of the heavy snow and whiteout conditions,” said Scott Lucas, State SAR coordinator, with the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.
According to Lucas, search and rescue operations tend to increase in the wintertime due to unpredictable snow or weather conditions. On average, they see about 1,000 SAR mission a year. Deschutes County alone completed 99 SAR missions this year. In his experience, he believes people need to be more prepared and aware of possible snow conditions.
In the winter months rescue missions are often delayed and more dangerous. Fall and winter seasons double the effort it takes SAR to rescue or search for somebody. Rescuers can only fly in certain weather conditions, since they have to be able to see the ground. The Oct. 26 mission was delayed as a result of adverse weather conditions prohibiting flight.
“It takes more people, more rescue personnel, takes more gear, takes more preparation and then you have to fight the weather,” Lucas told the Source Weekly. Lucas noted that while increased technology has made it easier for them to locate and rescue people, it’s also given people overconfidence. As he pointed out, “40% of Oregon doesn’t have cell service,” he said.
The area the two individuals were stranded, according to Lucas, was extra treacherous as it has many downed trees from the 2020 wildfires. “All the fires of 2020, it burned a lot of familiar areas that people used to go recreating,” said Lucas. “Now, they’re going somewhere else and they’re not familiar with it and don’t think ahead of what they’re getting into.”
Jefferson Park wilderness area burned heavily in 2020, leaving behind a lot of downed trees blocking trails making the areas a lot more difficult to navigate. The number of SAR missions also increased significantly after the 2020 wildfires, leading people to dangerous situations. “I think that’s pretty much still going on. The rescue yesterday was a good example of it.”
This article appears in Source Weekly October 26, 2023.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
