Ralph Sawyer. (Courtesy photo: Clackamas County Sheriff's Office)

A Gresham man whose disappearance spurred a multi-day search spanning 250 miles of forested lands made it back to his car and drove home on his own.

Ralph Sawyer, 52, of Gresham, was reported missing Friday, July 11, by loved ones after he failed to return from a planned trip near Trillium Lake. He stumbled out of the woods six days later, made it back to his car, and safely got back to East Multnomah County.

“Sawyer showed up to a neighbor’s house tired, cold, dirty and worn out,” the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a statement. “Gresham Police confirmed it was him and he was transported to a local hospital to be checked out.”

His car had been found by searchers just after midnight Saturday, July 12, after he had been reported missing. The blue Kia Soul had his cell phone inside. Sawyer’s family said he was familiar with the area, and he was an experienced biker with good equipment.

The search efforts in the Mount Hood National Forest to find him were extensive. It included technical rope teams in steep terrain, drones, and an Oregon National Guard helicopter. Earlier this week a parajumper unit with the Air Force Reserve joined the search.

Clackamas County Search and Rescue, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue, Portland Mountain Rescue, Mountain Wave Emergency Communications, and the Hood River Crag Rats all joined the search.

Information on what happened to Sawyer and why he went missing has not been shared.