I know there's a Mario pun in here somewhere, but it's escaping me. So apologies, dear reader. But much the iconic plumber's quest takes longer than expected, so did this mushroom forager. A woman went foraging for mushrooms in the Oregon wilderness. But she ended up getting lost and spending the night outdoors.
The incident happened at the end of October. 43-year-old Mandy Greer went out to a wilderness area near Reedsport along with her partner. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office commented on her disappearance in a Oct. 31 news release. It was supposed to just be a quick in and out thing. You know how it is. They were going to spend a few hours picking mushrooms.
Mushroom Picking Turns Survival
But those plans were quickly shot when Greer disappeared. She got separated from her partner and lost in the woods. When the woman didn't return from her mushroom picking quest, her partner called 911. The two previously agreed to meet back up at the vehicle. Search and rescue teams hit the spot. They used "ground, fixed wing aircraft and drone work" to search for Greer for several hours.
While the drone operator "identified potential heat signatures," they couldn't locate the missing woman. They ended up having to pause their search for the evening. Fortunately, they were able to resume the search for Greer the next day. Fast forward to 9 a.m., and authorities finally made contact with the mushroom hunter.
Greer had spent the evening in the forest. She was cold and wet but uninjured (at least severely). Authorities managed to help transport her out of the woods and back into civilization.
"Rescuers provided first aid, food and hot tea before assisting Greer to the roadway where she was transferred to the care of EMS providers," the sheriff's office said in the post.
On Friday, Greer commented on the Facebook post, "Thank you so much everyone. I was so blessed to have such a wonderful, great spirited group find me. I will be forever grateful."
