DIAMOND LAKE, Ore. – A hiker in distress was rescued by search and rescue crews thanks in part to a personal GPS tracker.
The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of an SOS signal emanating from a SPOT Personal Tracker. The device uses satellite communications to transmit the location and status of hikers in case they run into trouble.
According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, KCSO had been trying to find the hiker since Monday within their county, but new information indicated the hiker was on the Pacific Crest Trail near Tipsoo Peak along the Douglas-Klamath County border.
Douglas County Search and Rescue formed a team of hikers and horse riders from Oregon State Police along with a Civil Air Patrol plane. KCSO continued to update searchers with GPS data from the personal tracker.
The CAP aircraft crew flew over the area and used a loudspeaker to instruct the hiker to stay put.
The hiker—identified as a 36-year-old woman from Israel who was not prepared for the elements—was found after about four hours of searching. DCSO said she was cold, tired and hungry, but otherwise okay. She rode out on horseback along with her rescuers.
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