Missing Klamath County Man Survives Three Nights in Freezing Temps, Heavy Rain Lost Near Crater Lake NP
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Members of the Klamath County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue head out to locate Marty Holloway. Holloway, went picking mushrooms at the base of Mt Scott. Holloway was later found 3-days later by a hiker near the Pinnacles Trail south of Mount Scott, following a search by KCSO Search and Rescue. (Google Earth)
Missing Klamath County Man Located in Crater Lake National Park
Approximate area where Holloway was missing and located. (Google Earth)
The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office responded on Thursday, October 4 to the report of a missing 56-year-old man who went mushroom picking in an area near the base of the eastern slope of Mt. Scott. The man, identified as Marty Holloway, was reported by family members after he failed to check in with them. The family had located Mr. Holloway’s vehicle and discovered that he left his phone and jacket in it, and worried that he was not prepared to stay out in the elements.
Based on this, Klamath County’s volunteer Search and Rescue teams were activated to locate Mr. Holloway. With limited clues as to which direction Mr. Holloway may have wandered, teams relied on information from family and friends to try and determine his direction of travel. Over the course of the next three days teams comprised of members of Klamath and Jackson County ground and mounted Search and Rescue, along with family and friends, used all available assets to attempt to locate Mr. Holloway while being hampered by incoming weather systems, to no avail.
On Sunday, October 7 at about 1:00 pm, Klamath 911 dispatch received a call from a hiker in the area of the Pinnacles Trail to the south of Mt. Scott, inside Crater Lake National Park boundaries. The hiker had located a man who identified himself as Marty Holloway; he told them he had been lost for four days and needed help. Search teams were able to use GPS positioning from the hiker’s 911 phone call to pinpoint where Mr. Holloway was and coordinate his rescue.
Mr. Holloway miraculously survived three nights in rugged terrain with temperatures well below freezing and periods of heavy rain, wearing nothing but blue jeans and a t-shirt. He described sleeping inside a hollowed-out log and underneath brush to stay out of the elements. He was not injured and only complained of being cold, tired and having multiple blisters on his feet. Mr. Holloway was able to walk out under his own power with assistance from Park Rangers and the hikers who located him.
Mr. Holloway’s ordeal serves as a reminder that if you go into the woods for any reason, please tell someone where you are going and when you plan to return. Be prepared in case of emergency with items such as warm, water resistant clothing, a signaling device, and extra food and water.
The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank everyone who helped in this search, as it could not have been accomplished without them: the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue teams, the National Park Service Park Rangers, and all of the friends and family of Mr. Holloway who assisted in covering various parts of the search area.
Press release provided from the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office.