Last night, Friday, August 12, at 2130 Custer County SAR was called out to assist a lost mushroom hunter near Saint Charles Peak in the Wet Mountains. Working from information provided by his family regarding the location of his vehicle and his last known GPS point, we were able to narrow down a search area and sent in 3 ground teams to assist. At approximately 0200 Saturday, August 13 we reached the subject who was uninjured, cold, tired, and out of water. He regained the trail with our ground teams after getting some much needed hydration, food and a warm layer, and as a group, we successfully returned to his vehicle (with a great stash of mushrooms!) All teams were out of the field by 0515.
The Wet Mountains have serious blow-down in many areas making backcountry travel and navigation more difficult. It is easy to get disoriented and lose the trail especially when on the hunt for something. This person called for help, sent his coordinates to his family, and remained at that location which greatly contributed to the success of the mission. We also recommend carrying the 10 Essentials https://americanhiking.org/resources/10essentials/ including proper clothing and footwear, a headlamp, good navigational tools, and enough water and food in case you’re out longer than you had anticipated. #10Essentials #Staysafeoutthere #Mostlyfullmoonmission
