Missing Columbia Gorge Hiker a Mystery
Searchers are scouring the Table Mountain area in the Columbia River Gorge for 24-year-old Katherine Huether, a hiker from Portland who has not been heard from since Thursday.
UPDATE 3/13: It is with sadness that we update that Kate Huether's body was found at the base of an 800-foot cliff near Table Mountain on Saturday. Click here for more info. Our thoughts are with Kate's friends and family.
UPDATE: The search for Kate Huether is the Table Mountain area of the Columbia Gorge has been suspended. See this article at The Columbian for details.
The search continues today in the Table Mountain area of the Columbia Gorge for a Portland hiker named Kate Huether, 24, who went missing Thursday afternoon. Huether left her car at the Bonneville trailhead off of Hwy 14. She texted a friend she was going on a short hike and would be back at 8pm. Officials learned Huether was missing Saturday night and launched a search Sunday morning.The Table Mountain Trail is rugged and steep, and the 16-mile round trip route involves multiple junctions and turns, some unmarked. The trail to the top climbs over 3300 feet and follows the Pacific Crest Trail for a long portion. Before hiking to the top of Table Mountain, it's a good idea to plan this hike in advance while consulting maps to ensure good route finding, and having good maps with you on your hike is essential.
According to WTA's hiking guide entry on Table Mountain, written by WTA staffer Ryan Ojerio, Portlandhikers.org has a hiking guide with a detailed trail log of this area.
The Columbian reports that cold weather had added urgency to the search for the Portland State University student, which included nine tracking dogs:
With increasingly cold weather adding urgency, about 40 ground searchers and two helicopter crews spent Tuesday scouring a rugged, wooded 12-square-mile area north of Bonneville Dam for the missing hiker. A similar search is planned for today in a case one searcher called a mystery.
“I’m hoping she’s not hurt too seriously and able to sustain herself during these past few nights, and we’re going to find her tomorrow,” Skamania County Undersheriff Dave Cox said Tuesday night.
“It’s mountainous terrain, a lot of cliffs, very steep and heavily wooded, so we’ve got our hands full,” he added.
It is unknown if Huether's backpack included a warm jacket or coat, the ten essentials, or emergency shelter.
In addition to Clark County search and rescue, the sheriff’s office has detectives looking into the possibility of foul play. An unsubstantiated report surfaced on Monday that a man flashed a female hiker in the same area just a few hours before 3pm on Thursday, the time searchers believe Huether started up the trail.
A credit card receipt bearing Huether's name was found on the trail to Table Mountain on Sunday. Although she started up the trail late in the afternoon to be planning to hike all the way to the top of Table Mountain and back, the receipt was found at an unexpectedly high elevation.
According to Portland's KPTV, officials think Huether got lost. Huether's father, Robert Huether, says she is an experienced hiker and is still hopeful she will be found alive.
We hope so, too.Document Actions
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