HOOD VILLAGE, Ore. – A missing hiker who was reported missing over the weekend was found safe, police said.
The father of 34-year-old Portlander Nathan Charles Mitchell called the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office on October 22 to report his son as an overdue hiker. At the time, it wasn’t known where Mitchell intended to go on his Saturday hike.
The next day, his vehicle was found in a parking lot at the Wildwood Recreation Area in Welches. Crews coordinated a search of the surrounding area which included 38 ground searchers and canine teams.
CCSO said the search area includes many dangers including water crossings, cliffs and steep slopes in the Salmon Huckleberry Wilderness.
On Monday, the ground searchers covered an average of 15 miles each. They were assisted by an Oregon Army National Guard helicopter for about eight hours. Searchers remained in the field past 11:00 p.m.
Using photos Mitchell sent to friends during his hike, crews were able to identify specific locations where he had been. They eventually found a rain cover from the missing man’s backpack about five miles from his car.
On October 26, searchers found Mitchell in a drainage area near Salmon River Road in the Salmon Huckleberry Wilderness. He was cold, wet and tired, but otherwise okay.
Search and rescue crews are guiding him out of the forest as of 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
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