Crews brave rain, steep terrain in search for lost two teen hikers
MOLALLA, Ore. – Search crews are continuing to look for two teenage boys who did not return from a hike southeast of Molalla on Saturday.
An Oregon Air National Guard Blackhawk helicopter joined the search Monday morning.
The two boys, 17-year-old Jackson Chandler and 16-year-old Bradley Nelson, left to go for a day hike in the Table Rock Wilderness area and did not return, according to Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Nate Thompson.
Hunters found the boys' truck Sunday afternoon along the side of an area road. It was locked and the boys were not inside, Thompson said.
Chandler and Nelson are West Linn High School students. Their parents called Search and Rescue after the boys did not return. It was their first hike into the Table Rock area.
Chandler's aunt said the boys have hunting and survival skills. Jackson Chandler is an Eagle Scout and Bradley Nelson's rank is Life Scout, according to his father.
"We don't where they are, we don't know what happened to them," Jeff Nelson, Bradley's father, said on Sunday. "Just concerned for what they could be going through right now."
"We just want them back," said Amy Craven, who said she was an aunt.
The boys were encouraged by Jeff Nelson to take enough supplies to make it through the night, Thompson said, but added it's not known if they took the gear with them.
The search began Saturday night and continued Sunday. Renewed efforts began early Monday morning. Over four inches of rain has fallen in the area over the weekend, according to KATU Meteorologist Rhonda Shelby.
One of the boys was last seen wearing an olive green jacket. The other was wearing a black jacket with red highlights.
- Follow search efforts on Twitter: @KATUnews
They were found safe!!
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http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/10/oregon-army-national-guard-searches-for-teen-hikers/
Thank you much for the info. That is freaken awesome! I knew the were too strong to let a little weather get them down.
Goldendale, Wa sends lots of hugs, warm thoughts, and prayers for safe return of these boys. God bless and keep them safe.
The weather is far from helpful, it's my hope that these young men are found and rescued before the elements take a toll.
Like many others that have posted here, our thoughts and prayers are with the boys and the searchers for a safe return. The weather has been horrible, and hopefully these boys are sheltered well.Â
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Many prayers are offered for the families as well. We all want them home.
Come home safe young men. Thoughts and prayers for your safe return.
Into the wild?
Hopefully they will be found safe & well today. Pretty much anything can happen when you go out for a hike. Being scouts, they are probably better prepared than most "day hikers" or weekend enthusiasts.
So sorry to hear about this , and kinda upset that parents would allow this type of activity during this time of year without an adult. Eagle Scott or not! they are not prepared for this with all the earthquakes going on , volcanoes that are very close to us that became active. Please Keep your family safe at all times. Peace and be SaFE. praying for them on their safe return home. Here is a website to inform all who are not informed:http://www.hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php. This is our countrys Emergency and Disaster information service I encourage everyone to look at this.
@kc727
You must never have had kids, especially teenage boys. My teenage boys, when they were teenagers, would have patted me on the head and said Thanks for your concern, mom, I'll see you later.
So true. Mne grew up too fast. I am so glad they turned out to be real kds and not couch slugs afraid of little rain. I have a grip of grat memories hanging out with the family in the hills. I never felt concerned with their safety when they would take off into the woods, just when they took off tthe store.
 @kc727 What's with the catastrophic posting!!??  Are you predicting the END OF THE WORLD?  Two very capable hikers are missing. They will be found safe and sound. Maybe one of them got injured and they've set up camp and await rescue. Settle down!Â
@kc727 I understand some of what you are saying, but I can tell you this; These young men have several things going for them. Both look to be in top shape, (they do not look like couch potatos that play video games all day like so many do these days), they have been in the wild before, are Eagle Scouts which means they have had more than the average exposure to info AND experience of the outdoors than most, and, guess what? When I was 17 with the signature of a parent a "boy" was old enough to go to war and drag their ass around a jungle getting shot at by Viet-Cong. Anything theese young men run into would affect an "adult" just as much as them.I have complete faith that they can handle it as well as anyone.
PS. Something tells me that if a earthquake hit, they would be just as safe as you. And if a volcano erupted,(which is not very likely) in the next couple days, they would be just as safe as us.
 @kc727 With all due respect, are you referring to the earthquake off the ocean waters in CANADA? And are you suggesting Mount Hood might erupt sometime within the next day or two?
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Eagle scouts are actually pretty darned well prepared, and it was a DAY hike. These are not little kids here.
 @WhenCowsAttack Welcome back, WCA!
This seems very peculiar at this point.. If I were the parents I would be freaking out about now..
this community doesn't need any more bad news... hunker down and stay safe kids.....
I plan to head out tomorrow and help with the seach.Our unit is Troop 127 in Lake Oswego. I'm sure they would do the same if any of our boys were missing.
we went to search for their car yesterday...there are a lot of people out there looking for them...please dress well or they won't let you go out there...meet at the Mollala LDS church
 @pdx_boats I'm thinking of doing the same - I'm not affiliated with the Scouts though - just a Molalla resident. I don't know where to go other than just start driving up the corridor & looking for the search and rescue.Â
I know my Scout and his mates would be prepared and know what to do - Thank God for their dedicated Scoutmaster and assistant leaders... but still, I'd be scared to death.
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Come home safe, guys.
Since both are Eagle Scouts, I'm quite sure they were properly prepared; if one of them got injured, their training would tell them to make camp, administer first aid, and wait for someone to find them. Even for a day hike, they would normally have taken - at the very least - the "10 essentials", including a tarp, raincoat, matches, flashlight, fresh water, food supplies, compass and knife. I'm sure they'd have been found by now, if it weren't for the crappy weather. Now I hate to hammer this, but all of you folks who are out there, being glad its not your son out there, imagine what it would be like for them, if they didn't have years of survival and outdoor training. Now ask yourself - would your son (or daughter) be as well-equipped to survive? If not, why not?
 @Mick Wagner Yeah, to become an Eagle Scout, they have had quite a bit of backpacking, camping and wilderness survival skills under their belt. I'm quite optimistic they will come out of this just fine...although a bit embarrassed.
Would really like to start the week off with some good news. Prayers for a safe return.
I've spent plenty of time in the rain and in the woods so just to ease your minds a little, out here in the woods - you don't really get wet. Our forest is very thick and offers shelter from the rain. Hopefully, the temp stays warmer like it is right now. Cell service up river is pretty impossible but there are a LOT of logging roads that can lead them to a main road or hopefully offer them some noise to follow. If they just follow the river (downstream) they could be back on their own soon. My prayers are with you all. Do you need any help? I could pull some locals.
 @Cindy Kaus Putnam Hopefully they are hunkered under a big cedar tree as those stay pretty dry underneath.
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 @Dirtman For sure! :)
I hope to hear they are home safe very soon!
I can't wait to hear they've been found safe and returned to their families.
I hope a very safe and quick return for these boys.
David Kobbeman
I hope they find these two safe and sound.
there were over a hundred of us (friends of the families) out there today driving to about every road and trail to try to find the truck while professional Search & Rescue people did their part...the boys will be found!
Hoping both make a safe return! Â This is very disturbing, and I can't imagine how scary and cold it must be out there right now.....Parents must be going nuts...Sending positive thoughts.
Why go hiking in this weather? Just because you have the skills to survive doesn't making going out a good idea.
@Jamie Gee, if you stayed inside whenever it was wet outside, you'd NEVER go out. Lighten up!
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 @Jamie We live in Western Oregon, Jamie. People go hunting and hiking in this weather. I know, it seems bizarre to those of us who like to stay dry. My husband was out hiking this weekend. He got wet. He doesn't care. I do wish the boys who are missing were carrying a SPOT GPS like my husband does. Best gift I ever got him - only requires a clear shot at a satellite and it sends an email message to selected people.
I am praying for these boys. They could easily survive another night out if they were prepared for one night out. It isn't cold, just wet. Sending positive thoughts to keep their mother's warm, too (I'd be going nuts).
@Jamie We are primarily focused on finding them!
@Jamie So since it rains 300 days of the year we should all live like hermits and not doing anything outdoors?
I sure hope they make it. They both look like healthy stong boys, so short of a disaster I think they can handle what mother nature throws at them.
Hmm, I don't know these guys but I would expect an Eagle Scout to be prepared, not panic, have a map and a compass and know how to use them. But if they did get lost I would expect them to stay put and wait. That must be what they are doing. That will help searchers a great deal. I wouldn't be surprised if one of them has a whistle.
Sure hope that they are OK and found soon ~ or at least are able to hike out to somewhere that they can get a cell signal and a call out...also hope they had extra clothing for what promises to be pretty bad weather...Â
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Keeping best hopes for a good outcome to this...Â
I certainly hope they had good rain gear. Without it they are at risk for hypothermia. The forecast is for more rain, heavy at times, and not having good rain gear is not good in these conditions.
Table Rock has literally no reception - I really hope they're able to get a ping though.
Hope they show up with no major problems. Some hiking places do not have good cell coverage. Hope they were prepared with equipment for the cold and rain, or snow.
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Kids are Jackson Chandler and Brady Nelson of West Linn Oregon. Â They left driving a small gold pickup truck and were supposed to be home by 6:00 last night. Â
Thanks for the update! Hope they had a cell phone at least. The weather is not really conducive to a nice leisurely stroll in the woods.