84-year-old gets lost in forest overnight after leaving family camp, OR cops say
A missing 84-year-old camper was found after spending a night lost and alone in an Oregon forest, deputies said.
The man had left his family’s campsite at about 11 a.m. Sunday, July 27, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office told McClatchy News by email.
Initially, his family thought he was going to get firewood because he said they were almost out, deputies said. His vehicle and the axe were also gone.
However, his vehicle ended up “high-centered” and stuck on a forest road, keeping him from finding his way back to camp in the dark, deputies said.
Rescue teams found the vehicle on the forest road and followed his tracks into the woods, south of Paulina Lake, deputies said.
He was found by a volunteer in the early morning of Monday, July 28, and refused medical treatment, telling authorities he was just hungry.
Paulina Lake is in the Deschutes National Forest, about a 40-mile drive southeast from Bend.
This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 5:12 PM with the headline "84-year-old gets lost in forest overnight after leaving family camp, OR cops say."
