PALISADES — A Ephrata man is lucky to be alive after a wrong turn on the way home from Leavenworth forced him to sleep in a cave Tuesday night.

About 8 a.m. on Wednesday the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to Douglas Creek, about two miles from Palisades, after receiving a report of an injury accident. Deputies contacted the driver, a 37-year-old Ephrata man, at the bottom of Douglas Creek, according to Douglas County Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal.

The man said on Tuesday he was traveling to Ephrata from Leavenworth and he decided to take the Douglas Creek route home, as he thought it would allow him to bypass Quincy altogether.

“Douglas Creek is washed out and impassable and has been so for years. He got off the road and began slipping down a side hill. His vehicle stopped inches from dropping off a cliff into a ravine,” Gjesdal said. “The driver was able to safely get out of his vehicle. There is very little communications in the canyon and the driver sought shelter in a cave in the canyon. He reported to deputies that during the night, coyotes were tugging on his feet and took one of his shoes.”

At first light on Wednesday the man walked to the bottom of the canyon and called for help from a nearby residence. The man was transported to Confluence Health in Wenatchee for treatment of exposure to cold.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.