Hikers and dog get stranded in dark at Oregon waterfall with bad cell service, cops say
Hikers and their dog got stranded in the dark at a popular Oregon waterfall with poor cell service, deputies said.
The hikers couldn’t make a call, so they texted 911 at about 6 p.m. Nov. 15, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
They hunkered down at Multnomah Falls, which is about 2 miles from the Larch Mountain Trailhead, deputies said.
A search team of 23 people scattered to find them, deputies said.
Rescuers found the hikers and their dog at about 9:45 p.m., and they helped them return to the trailhead, deputies said. No one was injured.
Deputies said these hikers did the right thing by staying in one place after contacting authorities with the Text-to-911 service, which allows people to text 911 for help.
However, the service is not available at every call center, so people should try to make a voice call when possible, the Federal Communications Commission said.
Multnomah Falls is a 620-foot water fall in the Columbia River Gorge, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
It’s also “one of the tallest year-round waterfalls in the United States and is the most visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest,” forest officials said.
The waterfall is about a 30-mile drive northeast from Portland.
This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Hikers and dog get stranded in dark at Oregon waterfall with bad cell service, cops say."
