Pacific Northwest

Two 19-year-olds rescued near Eugene after writing ‘SOS’ in snow

Updated: Jan. 02, 2022, 9:25 p.m. | Published: Jan. 02, 2022, 10:57 a.m.

By Jamie Goldberg | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Two 19-year-old men were rescued Saturday in Lane County by the U.S. Coast Guard after signaling for help by writing an SOS sign in the snow.

The two men went camping near Swastika Mountain southeast of Eugene around Christmas Day and failed to return as expected on Dec. 29, officials said. Officials said the men were reported missing on New Year’s Eve.

Due to heavy snow in the area, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew assisted the Lane County Sheriff’s Department in finding the two men, whose names have not been released.

The helicopter crew also spotted two other people in distress while searching for the two men and reported the location of those individuals to Lane County officials, according to the Coast Guard.

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Swastika Mountain, the site where the men were hiking, derives its name from the swastika-shaped brand used by an area rancher before the symbol was appropriated by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.

— Jamie Goldberg; jgoldberg@oregonian.com; @jamiebgoldberg