Hiker missing for 9 days miraculously found alive in North Bend

A hiker has been found alive after being missing for nine days in the Cascades. 

The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) said 25-year-old Andrew Devers was last seen at Middle Fork Campground in North Bend on June 18. 

He was found on June 27 by a trail runner near North Bend's Middle Fork Trailhead.  He survived on berries and river water, according to KCSO.  

He was transported by medics for evaluation.  

"We’ve got volunteers all over the different road systems—scouting the roads, scouting the trails, dogs are out searching," King County Search and Rescue volunteer Nathan Lorance said on June 23.

Devers’ car was found parked at the campground. More than 40 search and rescue volunteers are trying to retrace his steps.

"When you and I are out hiking, we want to go see those vistas, we want to see the sunsets, things like that. So, we factor that into our search planning—where are areas of interest? Can we send teams to that? What are the hazards along the way? Natural areas that people might take shelter and rest?" explained Lorance.

Lorance said the team was hopeful to find Devers alive, considering weather conditions have been good and that there are places for nourishment.

"Very survivable. There’s tons of opportunities for water, some of the team brought back some berries. So, there’s a lot of options right now," said Lorance.

Search and rescue said it is really important to make a plan before hitting the trails. They strongly suggest letting someone know where the hiking trip is, the route and an estimated return time. The plan should be as detailed as possible with phone numbers just in case there is an emergency and crews are called out to help. 

"Leave that information with someone who can call out and say they’re overdue, they are late," said Lorance. "Even if it’s just a piece of paper on your dashboard that says hey I’m going to go to this lake or I’m going to check out these falls—that gives us an area to go focus on. If we know you’re going to be out two days, that gives us an area of potential travel and we’re going to start searching within that. And every bit of information helps us."

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