McCall ultramarathon organizer rescues hiker lost in the mountains

Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part two, with part one having appeared in Saturday’s Tribune.

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McCALL — Jeremy Humphrey put his intimate knowledge of the mountains near McCall to good use last week when he rescued a Donnelly woman reported missing while hiking in the area.

Humphrey, of McCall, found Laura Dipietro, 43, near the headwaters of Brush Creek north of McCall July 10 and arranged for a helicopter to take her to safety.

Dipietro had started her trip on July 3, and was reported missing when she didn’t show up for work at the Shore Lodge on July 8, Valley County Search and Rescue Capt. Larry Mangum said.

“It was going to be a needle in a haystack as she went out without telling anyone where she was going and when she would return,” Mangum said.

Humphrey found Dipietro camped with her dog Flora at a 20-foot-wide pond between Marge Lake and Brush Lake.

Humphrey is an avid ultra-marathon runner and organizer of two long distance backcountry races in McCall, the 100-mile Idaho Mountain Trail Ultra Festival (IMTUF100) and McCall Trailrunning Classic.

Each year, Humphrey sets the course for the IMTUF100, running dozens of miles in the exact area where Dipietro was suspected to be located.

Humphrey has traversed thousands of miles in the area on foot and can cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.

He knows the area’s trails and ridges in detail and has meticulous knowledge of the drainages and off trail areas from hunting.

Humphrey was planning a long run for Saturday, but heard about the lost hiker on Friday morning and moved up his plans to help with the search.

“I felt this spark, like this shot of adrenaline right out of bed; I just absolutely knew, 100 percent that I was going to find her, there was zero doubt,” he said.

Valley County Search and Rescue had a plane looking for Dipietro and 20 people in four different teams out searching the area as well. Humphrey called in to Valley County Dispatch throughout the day to coordinate with official teams.

“Jeremy finding her was a great help and we love to have people help us on these call outs, but we also like to know that they are in the area so we can work together,” Mangum said.

Humphrey parked on East Side Drive and started up the Crestline Trail to Box Lake, then to Heart Lake and Brush Lake before heading higher up, hoping to be able to look down and see any obscure lakes that Dipietro might have sought out.

At that point, Humphrey said he had run about 20 miles, with another 15-17 miles between him and his car. So he started to head back, but chose a route he thought might still be productive in his search.

Luckily he spotted Dipietro, who had been without food for four days but had plenty of water from the tiny lake. She was not able to respond until he gave her an energy drink and energy bars.

Dipietro told Humphrey that she went to Pearl Lake and it was crowded, so she went to Marge Lake and was headed for Brush Lake.

“She had lost her bearing, it’s big, wide-open country, but it all looks the same…so the place made sense given the reports and what she was trying to do,” he said.

Humphrey called dispatch, which sent a rescue helicopter to take her to safety.

— Max Silverson, The Star-News (McCall), Thursday

Newspaper under new ownership

KAMIAH – Community members may notice something different about the Clearwater Progress: It has a new owner.

Sarah Klement, owner of the Idaho County Free Press in Grangeville, completed purchase of the Progress from former owner John Bennett on July 6.

“The mission is to make sure the Clearwater Progress continues to exist to serve the Clearwater Valley,” Klement said. “The staff that is in place now has a great understanding and familiarity with the region. We’re going to make sure we continue the existing reader relationships and build new ones.”

One of Klement’s main concerns when making the decision to purchase the paper was to see that community journalism continue to exist in the region.

“Local papers are vital to the health and well-being of a community,” Klement said. “I’ve been a Progress reader for years.”

Together with the staff of the Free Press, the Progress staff will be able to continue to cover the area with local-based, community news, and will also have the added benefit of more reporters to attend, write about and photograph events that are important to the home-grown readership.

“We are always looking to strengthen our news products, whether it be content, layout and design or making sure our digital options are what our readership demands. I’m especially excited about some of the new marketing opportunities that will be available to local businesses,” Klement added. “And I’m sure they’ll be too when they see the returns.”

— Lori Palmer (Idaho County Free Press), The Clearwater Progress (Kamiah), Thursday