An 80-year-old Lebanon man was found alive after two days of being reported missing when he didn’t return from a hike in the area of Big Meadows Road, east of Idanha.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office received a report on Tuesday, May 12, at 5:25 p.m. that Jerry Highsmith went backpacking near Fir Lake and had planned to return by 5 p.m. that evening ahead of anticipated incoming weather.
Deputies responded to the area and located Highsmith’s vehicle parked at the Fir Lake trailhead off Big Meadows Road. Following an initial search in the Fir Lake area, LCSO activated its full Search and Rescue team, deploying searchers on the trail who conducted searches through the night under heavy rain and thunderstorm conditions.
At 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 14, LCSO reported Highsmith was located alive near a trail system around Duffy Lake. He was described as an experienced hiker, and likely well prepared for a couple of nights. When found, he was experiencing symptoms of exposure and was unable to walk.
A helicopter from the Oregon Army National Guard was deployed to help get Highsmith to an area hospital.
The rescue involved more than 50 searchers – including ground searchers, drones, K-9s and aircraft. The Linn County Search and Rescue Team was assisted by the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association Incident Management Team, Mary’s Peak Search and Rescue, Corvallis Mountain Rescue, Deschutes County Search and Rescue, Marion County Search and Rescue, Lane County Search and Rescue, Albany Police Department, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, United States Forest Service, Willamette Valley First Responder Chaplains, Oregon Department of Emergency Management, and the Oregon Army National Guard.