Yesterday around 4:00 p.m., an Oregon Army National Guard Lakota Helicopter responded and spotted smoke coming from underneath the tree canopy and what appeared to be blue jeans while searching the area around Leone Lake.

The helicopter was able to hover over the area and lower down a member of the Corvallis Mountain Rescue Team to look for anyone on the ground. They were able to confirm both men were sitting next to a fire they made to signal search and rescue teams. The helicopter crew hoisted both men, one at a time out to a nearby forest road where search and rescue personnel were waiting.

They were escorted quickly to Lyons Ambulance personnel that evaluated their condition. Both declined medical transport and did not have any injuries despite being in the wilderness overnight. They were reunited with family members near the Command Post in the city of Detroit.

We were able to speak with Josh Cox for a moment and he said that once they got into the area they were confused on which direction to head. They started down a trail and found a small creek. They followed the creek until it started to get dark and just camped for the night. The next morning, they continued to walk until the terrain was getting steep and dangerous. Josh said that they made a small fire with the intention of creating as much smoke as possible to signal search crews in the area.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office would like to extend a sincere thank you to our partners who assisted in the search and rescue effort: Oregon Army National Guard, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Corvallis Mountain Rescue, Idanha-Detroit Fire, and Lyons Ambulance.

– Marion County Sheriff’s Office