Outdoors commentary

By Pat Wray
Corvallis Gazette-Times

I was putting my gear together for a trip to Mount Adams to help search for lost solo hiker Derek Mamoyac when e-mail notification came that he’d been found.

I sat back down, harder than I intended, and took a deep breath. I don’t know Derek personally, but word of his disappearance on Mount Adams hit me pretty hard. I worked with his father, Steve, at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for years. Even had I not known Steve, I would have felt a deep kinship with him during the days when Derek was lost. My own son, Corky, was lost overnight while we were elk hunting in the Blue Mountains almost 15 years ago. So I know how Steve felt — at least for the first night. The pain he and his wife must have experienced as the days stretched on, temperatures plummeted and searchers grew pessimistic, I can only imagine — and I’d rather not.

There were differences in the two cases, of course. Corky was a 17-year-old youngster, easygoing, clueless and convinced of his own immortality, who hadn’t bothered to pack his maps and compass. Derek is a 27-year-old experienced mountaineer in the prime of life.

Derek headed out solo because there just aren’t that many people who can keep up with him. Cork ended up alone because with only 20 minutes of daylight left I was worn out and couldn’t chase the big bull elk another foot. My last words to him were, “Are you sure you can find your way back here?”

Derek couldn’t get back because he fell and broke his ankle. Cork walked 11 miles in the wrong direction, then built a fire in a logging road and lay down to sleep beside it, figuring that sooner or later someone would come along. Derek crawled across country, drinking from seeps and creeks, eating insects, using all his outdoor training and showing the kind of mental toughness and durability that can’t be taught.

Upon being found, Cork’s response was typical of him. “Why were you worried? You should have known I could take care of myself.” I suspect Derek’s was slightly more appreciative — and mature.

Each young man, in his own way, made his own bed. Heck with them. Let’s talk about the people who really had it bad, their parents and loved ones.

When the search party asked me if I wanted to send word back to my wife about our son’s disappearance, I said “No.” I thought I could protect her from the soul-shattering pain I was experiencing. It seemed like the right decision at the time; I’m not so sure any more. The Mamoyacs never had a chance to limit the pain — their son’s story went nationwide almost immediately.

I walked over the pitch black mountains all night but by noon the next day I’d gotten the radio call that I’ll guarantee you Steve Mamoyac will always remember as the best of his life. “We found him.” But Steve had to wait for the better part of a week and he will pay an emotional toll for a long, long time.

Cork went back to school the day we found him, completely unaffected. I was supposed to hunt longer but couldn’t do it. I went home and sat in a chair for two days, then was sick for another week with an undiagnosed, but very painful stomach ailment. I hope Steve gets off easier.

I understand the need to get away from people; I spend a lot of time alone in the back country myself,. But if you are also oriented that way, there is no longer any excuse for leaving your loved ones in the dark. Personal locator beacons are affordable and easy to pack, as are the new GPS units with e-mail. Cell phones probably won’t help, but you never know. Walkie-talkies are light; search and rescue crews will be using them and you can scan for active frequencies while you are lying around with a broken leg. Satellite phones are expensive but can be rented.

If you are a solo outdoorsman, buy and use one or more of those items. I’ll bet you Derek Mamoyac gets at least one for Christmas.

Pat Wray can be reached at patwray@comcast.net.