BEND, OR -- The Sunriver man who survived in his car stuck in the snow, for five days, on just packets of taco sauce he found in his car continues to capture national headlines. Jeremy Taylor and his dog were rescued Friday from a forest service road in southern Deschutes County. Kassidy Kern, with the Forest Service, says Taylor is lucky and his story should serve as a lesson to others. "It’s a good reminder for all of us that, when we go into the forest, when we go onto state land, we need to be prepared for all kinds of conditions and perhaps being there overnight. The most critical thing that we need to do is tell people where we’re going; so that if we’re not back, they know where to start looking. That’s going to help our Search and Rescue." She tells KBND News, "This individual was able to survive on taco sauce, which was great for him. But, somebody else may not fare so well. And, that’s that piece where, if you had told somebody, ‘I’m supposed to be back by five,’ they’re going to start looking for you probably around six or seven; as opposed to the next morning."
She says it’s also important that any trip the back-country include a “plan B” because plowing ahead, both figuratively and literally, can be dangerous, especially when forest service roads are blocked by snow. "That’s how we close roads at the Forest Service; we’re not gating a bunch of things. So, that would be the place to stop your vehicle, to not try to go farther and then get stuck and block that road, which does then create resource damage. Just stop where that is, even as it starts to melt out." As temperatures warm in the next week, we’ll see melting in town. But Kern says higher elevations – where some areas have nine-feet of snow or more – will take a while to thaw out.
According to the Associated Press, Taylor isn’t granting interviews and his family says he’s sorry for the trouble he caused over his rescue. Taco bell issued a statement saying Taylor will receive a one-year supply of food from Taco Bell and all the sauce packets that come with it.
