On August 12th, 2023, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue unit was dispatched to Paulina Lake Falls Trail for a report of an injured hiker. Initial reports detailed a 53 year old female who had possibly broken her ankle while hiking and could not walk to the main roadway.
Twelve Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue volunteers and one Special Services deputy responded to the location and treated the hiker by placing her leg into a splint. The hiker was then placed into a wheeled litter and transported to the main roadway, where La Pine Fire assumed patient care.