Lost Hiker Found

A search for a missing woman in the dense forest just north of the town of McCloud turned out successful over the weekend. 

The Sheriff’s office and a Search and Rescue team was called out last Friday morning after Louette Craft of McCloud went missing when she separated from her friends in search of mushrooms during the group’s morning hike in the woods with their dogs.

She left her dog with the group around 8:30 AM saying she would call them when she got back to her truck. The other two women, who kept her dog with their pack of 4 dogs, never heard from her again. After their 2 hour hike, they found her unlocked truck with her cell phone and keys in it. 

The Search and Rescue team of 4 on foot and 2 on quads, found Craft’s dog ball-thrower on the trail near where she left the group. They later found her sunglasses on a trail in the wrong direction about a half mile away. 

About 5 hours later, Craft was found near Haul Road about 2 miles south from where she was last seen. It was the first hot day of the season and she was not carrying any water with her. She said that she passed out and awoke in some bushes. The McCloud Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to evaluate Craft and found her dehydrated but well enough to drive herself home. 

Sheriff Deputy Jacobson said, “that this is a popular time of the year for people to get lost in the woods because it is mushroom season and people come from out of the area in search of morel and bolete mushrooms that commonly grow wild in this area.”

The last weekend in May, the town of McCloud hosts its annual mushroom festival. 

Sheriff Jacobson advises people to be prepared  when hiking or mushroom hunting in the woods. “Make sure you carry water and use your cell phone to track and map out where you are.”