Marion County deputy follows barefoot tracks in the snow nearly 5 miles to find man lost 4 days near Mount Jefferson (Nov. 1)
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A Marion County Sheriff's Office forest patrol deputy found a man who had been lost for four days in the snowy Cascades north of Mount Jefferson on Friday afternoon, Oct. 30.
The deputy spotted footprints in the snow near Breitenbush Lake along the Pacific Crest Trail, noticed one track looked barefoot and followed the prints for nearly 5 miles.
He found the man wrapped in a sleeping bag in the middle of Forest Service Road 4220. The man was treated for frostbite and hypothermia at Santiam Hospital.
The sheriff's office has not named the man. It urged anyone heading into the high country to carry a satellite messenger such as an inReach, because mountain weather can change suddenly.
DETROIT, Ore. - A Marion County deputy on a routine forest patrol saw something in the snow near Breitenbush Lake on Friday afternoon, Oct. 30, that made him stop: a set of footprints along the Pacific Crest Trail, and one of them looked like it had been made by a bare foot.
"Noticing that one of the tracks appeared to be barefoot, the deputy became concerned for the individual's safety and began following the trail," the Marion County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post Friday, as quoted by KOIN 6 and Hearst-owned stations including KCRA. The post was also relayed on X by the NW Fire Scanner account.
The deputy followed the prints for nearly 5 miles. They led to a man wrapped in a sleeping bag in the middle of Forest Service Road 4220, the sheriff's office said. The Statesman Journal described the road as rough and remote, following the boundary of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness, and identified the deputy as Forest Patrol Deputy Derrick Ramseyer.
The man had been lost for four days, according to the sheriff's office. He was taken to Detroit, where medics treated him for exposure, and then to Santiam Hospital, where he was treated for frostbite and hypothermia, the sheriff's office said.
"We are grateful for the outstanding work of Forest Patrol Deputy Ramseyer, whose vigilance and commitment likely saved the man's life today," the sheriff's office said.
What we don't know yet
The sheriff's office did not release the man's name, age or hometown, or say how he became lost, whether he was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail or why one of his feet was bare. Willamette News did not find any update on his condition as of Sunday morning, Nov. 1.
Early snow in the high country
The Pacific Crest Trail near Breitenbush Lake crosses a high plateau north of Mount Jefferson, KCRA reported. A few inches of snow fell at higher elevations over the five days before the rescue, the Statesman Journal reported, noting that October snow often catches hikers and travelers by surprise.
The National Weather Service had a winter weather advisory in effect for the Marion and Linn County Cascades on Wednesday, Oct. 28, with snow above 4,500 feet, Willamette News reported at the time.
Not the first time
The rescue echoes one in the same area seven years ago. In October 2019, Pacific Crest Trail hiker Robert Campbell, 50, got lost in a snowstorm and wandered off the trail. Marion County Sheriff's Search and Rescue deputies found him on Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, at the Breitenbush Campground after spotting and tracking his fresh footprints in the snow, The Associated Press and KATU reported. He had taken shelter in a pit toilet and suffered severe frostbite on one foot.
Campbell told KATU his 911 call dropped before he could give his name, but he said searchers were still able to pinpoint his location.
If you're heading into the Cascades
The sheriff's office used the rescue as a warning. "This is also an important reminder to always be prepared when heading into the wilderness," the office said, according to the Statesman Journal. "Carry an inReach or similar emergency communication device and remember that weather conditions can change suddenly at higher elevations."
Satellite messengers can send a message or an SOS where there is no cell service. One example is the Garmin inReach Mini 2, which offers two-way satellite texting and an interactive SOS feature. It requires an active Garmin satellite subscription to send messages or call for help.
Sources
Marion County Sheriff's Office: Facebook post on the Breitenbush Lake rescue (Oct. 30, 2026), as quoted by the outlets below
NW Fire Scanner on X: Relay of the Marion County Sheriff's Office statement (Oct. 30, 2026)
Statesman Journal: Deputy follows barefoot track and finds man lost 4 days in Oregon wild (Oct. 31, 2026)
KOIN 6: Footprints in the snow lead to rescue of man lost for 4 days along Pacific Crest Trail, by Danny Peterson (Oct. 30, 2026)
KCRA: Barefoot footprints lead to rescue of man lost for 4 days along snowy trail in Oregon (Nov. 1, 2026)
The Associated Press: Lost Pacific Crest Trail hiker rescued in snowstorm (October 2019)
KATU: 'It was just disastrous': Hiker rescued after being lost along Pacific Crest Trail (October 2019)
Amazon: Garmin inReach Mini 2 product listing
Cover photo: Mt Jefferson in snow, Oregon, by Bonnie Moreland, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
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