For two days, search crews combed the mountains of central Idaho for hiker Heather Wayment after she failed to return from a trip near the Prairie Creek area of Blaine County.
Her car was found parked at the trailhead, but she seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Family members eventually reported her missing.
The mystery only deepened when she was finally located, not by professional rescuers but by three local bikers who stumbled across her miles from where anyone expected, and in strange conditions.
Wayment was spotted by strangers who were not even looking for her
Image credits: Blaine County Sheriff’s Office
The missing hiker was ultimately found by Brothers Tommy and Vinton Gwinn, who were on their yearly biking and camping trip with their friend, Shelton Robinson, according to the East Idaho News.
While at the junction of Mule Creek and Big Smoky Creek, the group spotted a figure far from the trail. It was Wayment, seemingly lost, and about 17 miles away from her vehicle.
Her legs were raw and her feet were bleeding. She had even stripped off her shorts in an attempt to wrap them around her injuries.
Image credits: Blaine County Sheriff’s Office
With no shoes, no food, no water, and no supplies, and having left her phone behind in her car, Wayment appeared weak, dehydrated, and terrified.
“We stopped as she was obviously in bad shape,” said Tommy Gwinn. “She didn’t want help at first. She was scared and very guarded. It took about a half hour before she would talk.”
The men filtered creek water for her and offered a jacket. Slowly, she revealed her name and admitted she was lost.
“We got her some filtered water from the creek and gave her a jacket. She let her guard down a bit and told us her name and that she was lost,” Robinson stated.
Ironically, the group was actually not actively looking for Wayment. Since they were on their annual biking and camping trip, they were unaware that there was an ongoing search for a missing hiker.
More help soon arrived in the form of dirt bikers who also happened to pass through the area
Image credits: Leo_Visions/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
As the bikers attended to Wayment, three dirt bike riders appeared on the trail. Unlike the Gwinns and Robinson, the bikers were aware of Wayment’s disappearance, and they instantly recognized her.
The group pooled resources to keep Wayment stable. Some shared food and water, while Gwinn and Robinson fought poor service to relay GPS coordinates through an off-road mapping app.
Image credits: Blaine County Sheriff’s Office
Gwinn was fortunately able to send a message to his wife in Pocatello, who then proceeded to report Wayment’s discovery to Blaine County Search and Rescue.
“At 3:45 p.m. and about 50 messages later, we finally got word that a rescue helicopter was on the way. Technology worked very well in this situation,” Tommy Gwinn said.
Since the safe place for the helicopter to land was in a meadow located about a half mile below the group’s location, one of the dirt bikers took it upon himself to bring Wayment to the helicopter’s landing zone.
Image credits: All Trails
“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,” Robinson said.
Prior to her discovery, the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office, aided by Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue and Snake River Search and Rescue, was using canines, drones, and teams on foot, horseback, and bikes in an attempt to locate Wayment.
Wayment’s condition and the circumstances of her discovery are baffling netizens
Image credits: Tim Dennert/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
Wayment was finally airlifted to safety, reuniting with family and bringing the two-day search to a close. Her rescuers called the ordeal “remarkable,” given the harsh nighttime temperatures and difficult terrain.
“This is really rugged country. She was not on a bike path and had to go over numerous mountains to get where she was,” Gwinn said. “It’s remarkable she’s still alive.”
But while her safe return has brought relief, a lot of parts in the story remain confusing.
Image credits: Leo_Visions/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
Suspicious netizens asked why Wayment left her phone in her car when she knew she would be hiking. Others asked how she wandered so far from the trail. Others also questioned how she ended up in such a vulnerable state.
Gwinn and Robinson, for their part, are just grateful that Wayment was found and rescued.
“We’re super grateful we found her. 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,” Robinson stated.
Netizens shared their thoughts on the story of the missing hiker on social media
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