A 64-year-old hiker was rescued from Shore Acres State Park in Oregon on Sunday after she went missing two days earlier. The woman, rescued with assistance by the U.S. Coast Guard, got separated from a group that she was foraging with on Friday, December 6.
The Oregon State Police requested assistance from the Coast Guard in locating the woman on Friday as the nightfall, rugged terrain, and the hiker’s lack of survival gear sparked serious concern from rescuers. Thermal imaging was used from a MH-65E Dolphin helicopter, but nothing was found before weather forced the crew to turn around.
Coos County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, multiple ground search parties and K-9 teams from the Coos County Search and Rescue Team searched the area on Saturday, again requesting assistance from the Coast Guard. Once search conditions improved, another flight crew was sent in from North Bend, but they were once again unable to find anyone, and a flight crew from Air Station Astoria aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk dispatched earlier came up empty handed.
On Sunday, at around 12:30pm, several members of a ground party heard what sounded like shouting in a remote area of the park. The missing woman was eventually found showing signs of hypothermia and dehydration after some bushwhacking. The ground crew moved the woman to a safe extraction point and a Coast Guard helicopter flight crew hoisted the woman out of the area.
The woman was transferred to EMS at Bay Area Hospital in North Bend. It was determined that she had sought shelter under a log, leading to the inability of thermal imaging to locate her. When she heard helicopters overhead, she began shouting out for help, leading to her discovery.