Union County rescue finds lost mushroom hunter after overnight search

Union County Search and Rescue spent Friday night and Saturday morning looking for a La Grande man who became separated from his group during a heavy rainstorm near Pilcher Creek Reservoir. The search centered on the area of USFS 43 Road west of the reservoir, a remote stretch where steep ground and a maze of forest roads can turn a short search into a wide sweep.

The man was last known to be in that area on Friday evening, June 26, and Union County SAR searched through the night before calling in help from Baker County SAR and Umatilla County SAR the following morning. That mutual-aid response added extra crews to cover terrain that can hide a person quickly, especially after dark and in bad weather.

Searchers found the man in the late morning of Saturday, June 27. He had spent the night outside in rain and temperatures around 40 degrees, and he was cold and wet when crews reached him, but otherwise healthy and in good spirits. The outcome turned on speed, coordination and the ability to widen the search beyond one county’s resources when the terrain and weather demanded it.

Union County SAR said the incident showed why mutual aid remains essential in rural searches, particularly in country like this where steep slopes and layered road systems create more places for a missing person to be missed. The agency also thanked the neighboring teams for clearing their schedules on a Saturday morning and joining the effort. For anyone heading into the woods to hike, hunt or pick mushrooms, the case is a sharp reminder that a separation from a group can become an overnight rescue when rain moves in and temperatures drop. Carrying reliable communication, letting someone know the route, and packing for cold, wet conditions are not extras in this part of the county. They are what keep a solo trip from becoming a search.