NEED TO KNOW
On July 17, a mountain biker was found safe after he had been missing for almost a week in the Oregon wildernessThe man was able to return to his parked car and drive homeHe survived on stream water in the wilderness, a family friend said
A mountain biker who had been missing for almost a week in the Oregon wilderness was found safe after he was able to make his way home, authorities said.
On the morning of Thursday, July 17, Ralph Sawyer managed to drive to his home in Gresham after he first went missing during a planned bike ride in the Mount Hood National Forest the previous Friday, July 11, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“It was reported to the Sheriff’s Office that he found his car on East Still Creek Road and drove it back to his home in Gresham,” officials said. “Mr. Sawyer showed up to a neighbor’s house tired, cold, dirty, and worn out.”
After his identity was confirmed, Sawyer, 52, was transported to a local hospital for assessment. The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment.
The homecoming is a relief for his family, who have been frantically searching for him.
Mount Hood in Oregon.
Craig Tuttle/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty
A GoFundMe was created to support Sawyer’s wife, Marci, during the search. In an update announcing Sawyer’s safe return entitled “The Best Outcome,” the organizer wrote, “The will to live is strong in this one.”
The organizer did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. It’s unclear what will happen to the more than $15,000 dollars raised on the site.
That Friday, Sawyer left home at 10 a.m. to go on a ride on his mountain bike in the national forest, located approximately 26 miles east of Gresham. His family expected him home by 8:30 p.m. that evening. Sawyer often rode his bike in the area and was familiar with the terrain, officials said in a news alert shared on Saturday, July 12.
When the man didn’t show up, his family notified the sheriff’s office at approximately 10:30 p.m. Just after midnight, search and rescue coordinators discovered Sawyer’s blue Kia Soul with his cell phone inside.
Following the discovery, a multi-agency search effort commenced with an initial focus on the Trillium Lake area. By Sunday, July 13, approximately 70 searchers covered more than 250 miles, with the help of ATVs, motor bikes, drones, a helicopter and a technical rope team, the sheriff’s office said in a Monday, July 14, update.
For five days, his wife was at the search-and-rescue base camp, the GoFundMe organizer wrote in the original post.
Ralph Sawyer.
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office
“This community is holding her in our hearts and surrounding her and Ralph with light and endless prayers that he is found soon,” the organizer added.
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As Sawyer’s loved ones clung to hope that he would be found, Diane Brown, who knows the family well, said he was trying to make his way back. In an interview with CBS affiliate KcbyBrown said that Sawyer hid his bike at the trailhead and hiked on foot.
Search efforts for the missing man.
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office
“Somehow, he didn’t fall, but he lost his footing, ended up having to go down a very, very steep incline and ended up in a lot of brush, and in this area that was really difficult to maneuver,” she told the outlet. “He ran out of water and had to drink the stream water and then make his way out.”
When Sawyer realized he couldn’t return on the same trail he’d hiked in on, he followed a stream back to the road. By Thursday morning, he’d located his bike and made his way back to his car before driving home, KCBY reported.
When Sawyer arrived home, he was greeted by his 15-year-old son, before their neighbors arrived to help contact emergency services, according to KCBY. As Sawyer recovers in the hospital, there are still questions about how he managed to survive in the forest.
The mountain biker.
Go Fund Me
Scott Norton from Portland Mountain Rescue, who helped lead the search, told OregonLive that it’s “a bit of a mystery” how Sawyer managed to live for so long in the wilderness. But multiple factors were in the missing man’s favor, including the warm weather and access to water, OregonLive reported.
For Sawyer’s family, it’s a time for celebration. The GoFundMe update includes a photo of Sawyer as he was kissed on the head.
The organizer wrote, “Time to exhale with relief and celebrate LIFE.”
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