The father-son hunting trip of the teenage boy named Ryle Gordon and his stepdad Chris Trumbich turned into a hunt of life and death the two will never forget. Both Ryle and Chris were looking forward to spending time together and hunting deer, but never could they imagine that it will turn into a different kind of pursuit.
As they were walking through the forest they stumbled upon something chilling. The word HELP was written on the ground, in the mud. They were completely puzzled and had no idea who might have been in trouble. The problem was that they were already deep in the woods and whoever needed help was probably lost somewhere in the wide area. They couldn’t assume when have the person, or the people, left the message, and wondered whether it was too late to help the lost.
Determined to figure out what was going on, they started making guesses. Chris thought it might have been a means of communication between the hunters, but something was telling them that it was a serious matter. Ryle though the message was creepy and took a photo of it using his phone.
But soon after, they recalled how they saw some members of a rescue crew who were looking for a 19-year-old girl who got lost two days prior. Katie Ogle was from Hayden, Idaho, and it was very probable that she was the one who left the message in the mud.
The stepdad and the son knew they had to act fast, because every minute counted, so they rushed down the mountain in order to alert the authorities of what they witnessed. The rescue crew was about to finis the search for the day, but Ryle and Chris got just on time to show them the picture they’ve taken. It was a crucial lead that could save the girl’s life.
On the day she disappeared, Katie wasn’t wearing any shoes, and the prognosis weren’t bright because the weather during the time she was lost was pretty bad and the girl’s cognitive ability was that of an 11-year-old. Everyone was suspicious that the search would result with a happy ending, but still, everyone hoped for the best.
The team quickly went to the place where the word HELP was written in hopes of finding Katie alive. As soon as they arrived, one of the crew members yelled “hello” and a voice from behind the hill could be heard back. Everyone was relieved when they found Katie lying in a sleeping bag. Ryle told KFBB that the teenager seemed very frightened:
“She looked very scared when she came out, like she was scared she was going to get in trouble like we were going to yell at her for being in the cabin. Katie, if you’re watching this, we’re just happy you’re alive.”
The interesting thing was that Ryle and Chris helped save Katie’s life twice that day, because the bag she was sleeping in was actually theirs. They believe she took it from their family cabin which Chris keeps unlocked in case any lost hunters need shelter or food. They were beyond happy to take part in the rescue of the poor girl. Fortunately, they got a happy ending.
Take a look at the video of the amazing rescue below.