PORTLAND, Ore. — Search and rescuers in Oregon and Washington have been dealing with a rash of mushroom hunters. Within a week, at least three people have been rescued while foraging for wild fungi.
In some cases, the foragers have gotten lost, but for others, it's placed them in a precarious situation. One mushroom hunter was left in the woods overnight.
A 43-year-old woman and her partner had gone out mushroom picking Tuesday in the wilderness area outside of Reedsport on the Oregon Coast. The pair had planned to be out there a few hours and decided to split up and return to the car at a designated time.
Just before 5 p.m., her partner called 911 to report her missing, after she did not return on time. Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputies and search and rescue responded and searched the area until early in the morning but had no luck. The search was paused until later that morning.
Around 9:15 a.m., the woman was found after responding to a deputy’s siren in a sweep. Rescuers located the woman, who was injured, and helped her out the forest. Beyond being cold and wet, she was OK, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said.
In Lincoln County, a 79-year-old man got lost and stuck on a steep hill last Friday, while mushroom hunting off Harris Ranch Trail near Waldport. The man had gone further and further off trail and down into a ravine, Lincoln County Sheriff's Office said.
Search and rescue located him about a half mile down the trail and 600-feet down a steep embankment. Rescuers located him based on GPS coordinates given when the man called 911. He had no other injuries other being “extremely exhausted,” Lincoln County Sheriff’s office said.
Search and rescue placed the man in a basket and carried him out to waiting family members.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office asks everyone when hiking in the woods to look up occasionally and be familiar with the surroundings of where you are walking.
On Sunday, a lost mushroom picker called Skamania County Sheriff’s Office for help. According to the department's Facebook page, the lost mushroom picker was near Forest Service 43 Road, northeast of Carson, Wash. After a four-hour search, the team brought them to safety, returning them to their vehicle.
"It's in the middle of the night; there are no trails. They are just going through the brush, heavily wooded areas to be able to try and find this person," Skamania County Sheriff Summer Scheyer said.