Hero mule Hickory leads two hikers to his injured 60-year-old owner after he fell off during a trail ride in Oregon
- ‘Hickory’ led two hikers at Milo McIver State Park trail to his injured owner after the 60-year-old had fell
- On Sunday, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said the mule disappeared into the forest
- Toni Palmateer and her daughter Winter set out to find the mule the day after it was reported missing
- A friend of the owner confirmed that the mule is a six-year-old male named Hickory that the injured owner only owned for a few months
A 60-year-old man who was injured after falling off his mule on a trail ride was rescued by two hikers after the animal led them to its owner.
But the mule, Hickory, then disappeared into the brush at Milo McIver State Park in Oregon on Sunday and remained missing for a day until he was tracked down by two Good Samaritans.
On Sunday, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputies rendered aid to the 60-year-old man. According to tweet from the Sheriff’s office, the person who called for help reported that the mule led them to the injured man.
Toni and Winter Palmateer found ‘Hickory’ the mule on Monday. The mule had tangled in its reins and was having trouble moving
Sgt. Marcus Mendoza told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the mule led Doug Calvert and his wife, who were on foot on an equestrian trial, to the injured man.
Calvert says the mule was alone and watching them.
‘It kept stopping and looking back to make sure we were following it,’ Calvert said. ‘So we started going faster, and it picked up speed. Eventually we got within view of the gentleman who had fallen.’
‘He seemed very determined to get us to follow him,’ he added.
Calvert said as soon as the mule led them to the injured owner, it backed off and while the couple tended to the injured man and called 911, the mule went back on the trail and went missing.
Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputies responded to Milo McIver State Park to render aid to a 60-year-old man who suffered injuries after falling off his mule while on a trail ride
After locating the tangled mule, Winter untangled Hickory’s reins
The Clackamas Sheriff’s Office said the person who called for help reported that the mule led them to the injured man
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office’s social media post about the incident inspired Toni Palmateer, a local respiratory therapist, efforts to locate the mule.
Palmateer and her 16-year-old daughter Winter, got up on Monday morning, packed up their trailer with two horses and were determined to locate the mule that they had read about on social media the day before.
The pair drove up to the Milo McIver State Park trail the mule was last seen and were flagged down by a jogger who told them a mule was in distress up the trail from the parking lot.
After saddling up the pair found the mule half a mile later. The mule had tangled in its reins and was having trouble moving.
After locating the tangled mule, Winter got off her horse and began untangling the Hickory’s reins.
‘The minute we got there and got the reins untangled, he put his head down and he just followed us in a very relaxed way,’ Toni Palmateer said. ‘He was very gentle.’
When Palmateer and her daughter got back to the trailer they ran into Sandy Leicht, a neighbor and friend of the injured man.
Leicht told the Oregonian/OregonLive that the mule is a 6-year-old male named Hickory, and that the 60-year-old only owned him for a few months.
Leicht said her neighbor did not want to be publicly identified.
Hickory was taken back home and is doing well after the night in the woods, the Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
Leicht confirmed that her injured friend is still recovering in the hospital.
Palmateer says she is glad her and her daughter were part of a community effort to find a missing animal.
‘My daughter did miss her first period class, but it was great for her to get to be a part of something more important,’ she said. ‘Hopefully they’ll excuse her absence.’