SAR aids another ill hiker

A 24-year-old hiker fell ill on the Green Lakes Trail near the Pole Creek Trail and had to be assisted by Search and Rescue personnel last week. It was the second time SAR personnel aided an ill backcountry hiker in a week.

On June 17, at about 3 p.m., Deschutes County 911 received a call from Jessica Sheets reporting her hiking partner Daniel Horn had become ill and needed medical assistance. Sheets reported the pair had been hiking for two days in the area and had covered approximately 20 miles the day before.

Sheets and Horn's coordinates location was determined by the phase II cell phone connection with 911. It showed that Sheets and Horn were on the Green Lakes Trail about three miles north of the intersection with the Pole Creek Trail.

A team of 13 Search and Rescue volunteers hiked in nearly five miles from the Pole Creek trailhead in Sisters Country, bringing medical supplies and a lightweight metal litter with a single wheel and tire mounted to the bottom. Horn and Sheets were reached by the SAR team at about 6:10 p.m.

Horn was evaluated by SAR medical staff and treated on scene. He was then secured in the wheeled litter and transported back out to the Pole Creek trailhead where he was turned over to medics from Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Department.

Horn was transported by Sisters Fire to St. Charles in Bend for additional observation and treatment.

Temperatures are expected to hit near 100 degrees in Sisters Country this week. Hikers are vulnerable to dehydration. It is advisable to carry plenty of water, drink regularly, and allow for plenty of rest intervals during any backcountry activity.