Lost riders spend cold night in the woods

Two women who got lost on an afternoon horseback ride Friday, March 28, turned up at a Tollgate house the following morning little the worse for spending a cold night in the woods.

Gale Etherington, 40, of Albany, and Chris Seija, 42, of Lebanon, were part of a group camped at Graham Corral west of Sisters. According to Deschutes County Search & Rescue, they left the camp at about 2:30 p.m. Friday for a short ride.

When they had not returned by 6 p.m., their companions launched a search. When that proved fruitless, they called for the search and rescue team.

Search and rescue units patrolled the roads in the area all night without finding the riders. Searchers believed the women had probably camped for the night, though temperatures dropped into the 20s and the women had little survival gear.

Shortly after search resumed at first light, a Tollgate resident notified 911 that the two women had showed up at his house. Both were chilled, but otherwise unharmed.

The two women had reportedly gone further than they thought and were unfamiliar with their surroundings. According to sheriff's reports, they stayed up all night trying to stay warm