Family rescued after being stranded overnight on Mt. Hood trail
By Noor Shami and Jeffrey Lindblom
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GOVERNMENT CAMP, Oregon (KPTV) — Four adults and two children were rescued after being stranded on Mount Hood overnight while hiking Tuesday evening.
On Tuesday, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team started a rescue operation following reports of a missing family of hikers in the Mt. Hood National Forest.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., a member of the family contacted dispatch using the Emergency SOS feature on an iPhone. The feature sent out detailed information to the deputies.
The four adults, ages 19, 32, 47, and 52, alongside two children ages 9 and 11 started their trip on the Salmon River Trailhead, according to the sheriff’s office. Crews started their rescue mission, but due to the trail’s conditions, they were unable to reach the family.
On Wednesday at 6 a.m., crews were able to get back out on the trail to bring the family to safety. The sheriff’s office said the family was cold, wet and dehydrated, but otherwise safe. They were stuck eight miles in at 3,500 feet in elevation.
Resources including a helicopter was deployed to help rescue the family, but it was unable to land due to weather conditions. A snowcat from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office arrived at 10 a.m. After several hours, the snowcat reached the hikers and they were transported back to the search and rescue command post along Highway 26 at around 7:30 p.m.
The sheriff’s office said this rescue was a challenge due to the amount of snow, fallen trees, steep terrain and the number of people who needed to be rescued.
Deputies want to remind anyone planning a visit to the wilderness and higher elevation areas to be prepared for unexpected weather conditions with warm clothing, extra food and water.
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