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A group of resourceful mountain bikers came across a hiker who was missing for two days in the rugged Idaho wilderness and brought her to safety last month, authorities said.
Heather Wayment, 46, was reported missing by family on Sept. 17, a day after she was last seen in the Prairie Creek area of Blaine County, Idaho, the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office said.
A day later, three mountain bikers who were not part of the search and rescue effort discovered Wayment on a remote trail in Camas County about 17 miles from where her vehicle was found, the sheriff’s office said.
The mountain bikers, brothers Tommy and Vinton Gwinn and their friend Shelton Robinson, told East Idaho News that they were on their annual biking and camping trip when they suddenly came across a woman in her underwear and her feet bloodied.
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“We stopped as she was obviously in bad shape,” said Gwinn. “She didn’t want help at first. She was scared and very guarded. It took about a half hour before she would talk.”
Gwinn said the woman told them her name and that she was lost, though the group did not recognize her as the missing hiker since they had been camping and hadn’t tuned into the news for a couple of days.
“This is really rugged country,” he said. “She was not on a bike path and had to go over numerous mountains to get where she was. It was so cold at night. It’s remarkable she’s still alive.”
As the trio helped Wayment, three dirt bikers came upon them and recognized Wayment as the missing hiker.
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The bikers contacted 911 using a satellite phone and rescuers gave them coordinates where a rescue helicopter would arrive.
“The only safe place for the helicopter to land was in a meadow about a half mile below where we were,” said Robinson. “One of the dirt bike riders lifted her onto the back of his bike and took her down to the awaiting helicopter, saving the rescue crews time.”
Wayment was airlifted with unknown injuries to St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise. No update on her condition or how she became lost was immediately provided.
“We’re super grateful we found her,” Robinson told the outlet. “It’s always in the back of your mind that something could happen and you need to be rescued. It was cool to see how an actual rescue works. I was very impressed.”
The sheriff’s office thanked all the bikers involved for their roles in rescuing Wayment.
“We especially want to thank our Blaine County Sheriff’s Office deputies for their incredible efforts over the past two days, and the mountain bikers who were able to contact law enforcement, guide the Life Flight crew to Heather, and remain by Heather’s side offering aid until medical assistance could arrive,” the sheriff’s office said.
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