A Night in the Timber
A local man survives a freezing night in the woods near Bead Lake after becoming separated from his hunting party.
Lee Berry was a guest of the Cunningham brothers at Bead Lake from Friday to Monday. While out in the woods with one of the Cunninghams on Saturday, Lee became separated from him and, losing his way in the heavy timber and brush, was forced to spend the night in the woods. The Cunninghams started to search for him during the night and found Lee about 5 o'clock in the morning, not much the worse for his experience, except for the fact that he had been kept busy all night with a small hand ax trying to keep up a fire. Lee says he never before in his life had been so glad to see anyone as when his rescuers hove in sight.
“Lee says he never before in his life had been so glad to see anyone as when his rescuers hove in sight.”
Getting lost in the dense forests surrounding Newport remains a genuine risk for hikers and hunters today. While modern GPS and cell phones have changed the nature of search and rescue, the vulnerability of being alone in the deep timber is a timeless reality of life in Pend Oreille County.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.