Lost huckleberry picker found himself in a jam for several days until walking to safety

SPOKANE COUNTY, Washington (Spokesman-Review)– A 62-year-old man who spent much of the weekend wandering through the Boyer Mountain area after going missing during a family huckleberry picking trip was found Monday afternoon.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Air Division, Washington State Fish and Wildlife department and the search and rescue teams for Stevens and Pend Oreille counties spent three days looking for Harry Lashbrook in the remote area where he disappeared Friday afternoon. But Lashbrook managed to find safety himself, according to a release from the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office.

After safely arriving at a rural home more than 5 miles from his last seen location, Lashbrook told Pend Oreille County deputies he had gotten turned around in the woods and walked until he found a house. He survived on the huckleberries he had previously picked, the release states.

“Other than tired and hungry from his two nights in the backcountry, Lashbrook appeared to be in good condition and ready to be home with family,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

The Spokesman-Review made multiple attempts to reach Lashbrook, the residents of the home who took him in and the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office to learn more about the ordeal. Those requests for comment were not returned ahead of publication.

Huckleberry picking season will stretch into September, although the later in the season it gets, the higher in elevation interested parties must go to find them. The northwest is seeing a “bumper crop” this year, with some local pickers collecting as much as a gallon and a half per hour, as reported by The Spokesman-Review.

Interested foragers are allowed to collect up to two gallons of berries per day on Washington park lands, and up to three gallons per season in the Colville National Forest, as long as the haul is for personal use. The Idaho Panhandle National Forest also allows picking for personal use.

In the release, the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office reminded those venturing into the backcountry to “be prepared for the possibility of being in the woods longer than planned,” and to carry proper clothing and survival supplies.