LINN COUNTY, Ore. — An 80-year-old Lebanon man who was reported missing after failing to return from a backpacking trip near Fir Lake has been found alive following a large-scale overnight search operation in the mountains east of Idanha.
Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan said searchers located Jerry Highsmith at approximately 11:30 a.m. Thursday near a trail system around Duffy Lake. Highsmith was suffering from symptoms of exposure and was unable to walk when rescuers reached him.
A helicopter from the Oregon Army National Guard responded to the scene and was preparing to transport Highsmith to an area hospital for treatment.
The search effort involved more than 50 personnel utilizing ground teams, drones, K-9 units, and aircraft. Multiple agencies from across Oregon assisted in the operation, including 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, the 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.
Sheriff Duncan thanked the agencies and volunteers who participated in the search, saying Highsmith’s rescue “would not be possible without their assistance.”
The search began Wednesday evening after dispatchers received a report at approximately 5:25 p.m. that Highsmith was overdue from a backpacking trip in the area of Big Meadows Road near Fir Lake. Family members told authorities he had planned to return home by Tuesday evening ahead of incoming weather conditions.
Deputies responding to the area located Highsmith’s vehicle parked at the Fir Lake trailhead off Big Meadows Road. Initial search efforts by deputies and Search and Rescue volunteers around Fir Lake were unsuccessful, prompting the activation of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team.
Search crews worked through the night in heavy rain and thunderstorm conditions while additional resources from neighboring counties were brought in to assist.
Authorities described Highsmith as an experienced hiker who was likely prepared to spend several nights outdoors. He is described as 5-foot-10, approximately 200 pounds, with medium-length gray hair.
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