Father-son camping trip nearly turns disastrous

ESTACADA, Ore. -- A father-son hunting trip turned into a rescue mission this week after the father slid down the side of a mountain, badly injuring his leg.

Jeff and Robert Gracey headed out deep into the wilderness with their three faithful dogs and enough gear to last them several days. On Tuesday, they took off on a route near Estacada, but by Wednesday, the trip took a turn for the worse.

"Lost my footing, slipped fell ... I missed the branch with my hand," said Jeff, Robert's father. "Caught it with my right leg. I was kind of dangling I think 8-10 feet."

As the terrain got worse, so did Jeff's leg.

"We kept going and it turned from a limp, to a ... I need to pick my leg up with my hand to get over a log," Jeff said. "Every time I see him move, I'm seeing him grimace."

They called Jeff's girlfriend to tell her what happened. They then set up camp. The next morning, Robert took his dog and went to get help.

"Worried about him trying to shave time off worried about me, he'd cut corners and get hurt," Jeff said.

At the top of the mountain, Robert called 911 and the dispatcher told him to stay put.

"If I stay put, I'm going to have hypothermia and I'm going to freeze to death," Robert said. "I'm not going to do that. I have a map and compass. I was born and raised in this area."

Robert walked out of the woods, right into the search and rescue base camp. Eventually, rescuers found Jeff and lifted him out of the area with a helicopter using the Oregon Air National Guard.

"I would definitely, hands down, too for my son for being there for me," Jeff said.

Jeff said the two split up their food and had enough to last a few days. He said several tools came in handy, like their compass and map. Jeff's leg isn't broken, but swollen. He said it could have been a lot worse.