Late Sunday night, June 7, Senior Conservation Officer, Michael Wampler was getting ready to shut down his patrol vehicle after a long day of bear hunter patrol when he heard a call generated from an Idaho State Police (ISP) emergency call box, near Wilderness Gateway on the Lochsa River. The reporting party (RP) said two hikers separated during a day hike up the Boulder Creek trail.
The RP stated the hikers were brothers and had not been in contact with each other since mid-day. The brother, John who had not returned was not prepared for spending the night in the woods. He had only light hiking clothes, a dry ramen noodle dinner and only wading shoes. John’s brother said he had a light plastic bag for rain gear and no light source other than a phone. It was now about 1030 pm with a cold steady rain and 45 degrees.
Dispatch stated that an emergency search and rescue team would be headed up the next morning at day break to search for the missing hiker. Officer Wampler knew that the majority of hypothermia fatalities occur in the vicinity of 50 degrees and knew that the temperature would continue to drop throughout the night. He knew there was no time to waste. Officer Wampler notified dispatch of his plans to head up the trail that night.
Officer Wampler pulled a survival pack from his patrol vehicle, stuffed in a stove and all the spare clothes he had. Donning rain gear, head lamp and hiking sticks he headed up Boulder Creek in the dark, shouting “John” every so often. Five miles later, at 0130 in the morning, he got a voice response. He found John very cold and wet from head to toe sitting under a tree off the trail.
John was finding it difficult to move, being very stiff from the cold. Officer Wampler was able to help John into the dry clothes from his pack. Due to damp wood and rain, they could only start a small fire. Officer Wampler fired up his camp stove and was able to make some warm crystal light drink and noodles for John. As the rain kept falling, Mike and John decided it was best to hike back down the trail. It was slow going…but the right thing to do to keep moving to stay warm.
Wampler had an INREACH communication device with him that he used to notify Idaho County dispatch that he found John and that they were heading back down the trail. At 0530 they made it to the Boulder Creek Trailhead at Wilderness Gateway where John was soon warming up in a vehicle and heading to The Lochsa Lodge to reunite with his brother and enjoy a hot meal. John seemed grateful for Officer Wampler’s assistance. He said he would like to come back more prepared to hike the area later in the season.
Officer Wampler encourages hikers to stick together and be prepared for the worst when hiking Idaho’s backcountry. “You never know how long you might be out for and what weather conditions you might encounter, especially this time of year, says Wampler. “I’m glad I was able to help get this hiker out safely.”
-Officer Michael Wampler recently graduated from post academy and patrols the Lochsa River area.
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