Hikers Rescued At Multnomah Falls

There was drama in the Columbia River Gorge as rescuers brought 12 lost hikers to safety. It happened around 3 o'clock Tuesday afternoon between Wahkeena Falls and Multnomah Falls.

Thanks to the cell phone of one of the hikers, the sheriff's office's Green Hornet Trail Team was able to determine that they were about 1.2 miles up the Multnomah Falls Trail.

HAVE PATCH EMAIL YOU ALL THE LATEST NEWS

In addition to being lost, one of the hikers had slipped and fallen down an embankment and into a creek. They reached the hiker - 21-year-old Neil Desai - and determined he was not injured.

His 11 friends - they are all 20 and 21-years-old and had travelled to Oregon from Texas on Spring Break - were still trapped on the other side of a snow hazard.

Personnel from Corbett Fire arrived and helped set up a rope system to allow the hikers to make it across the snow hazard.

By 6 o'clock everyone was back safely in the parking lot of Multnomah Falls Lodge.

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office offers the following tips for people planning to hike in the Columbia River Gorge and other places:

• Ensure you have the proper equipment you need when you embark on a hike including a map, compass, flashlight, extra food and water, fire starter, extra clothing, a knife, first aid kit, GPS, and a cell phone with an extra battery; and
• Remaining in one place and staying on the trail will assist searchers as they work to locate where you are at and help bring you down from the trail safely.

File photo Multnomah County Sheriff's Office