Skier attacked by robbers recalls ordeal
UNDATED - A cross country skier spoke out Monday about the random attack that left him beaten and bloody along a southwest Washington river last week.
Robert Tracey said he was suiting up to go cross country skiing near Dougan Falls along the Washougal River on Feb. 9 when two strangers walked up to him and asked for directions.
"And I thought, 'Well there's only one road to get up here and one road to get back. Why would you need directions?' " the 52-year-old told KATU. He agreed to be interviewed as long as his severely injured face was not broadcast.
Then suddenly they demanded the keys to his sport utility vehicle. He said he told the men to drive his truck one way while he and his dogs went the other but they wouldn’t agree to that.
"When the guy looked at me it wasn't like a thrill kill where they were pumped up and it was some kid on adrenaline or drugs or anything like that," Tracey said. "It's just like you and me talking now and the guy is like, 'Oh, by the way, I'm going to have to kill you.' "
That’s when they began beating him over the head repeatedly, he said, knocking him unconscious before they dragged his body into the woods to be left for dead.
He remembers waking up face down in the snow and not knowing where he was at first.
He could not get up but found the strength to crawl to the banks of the nearby Washougal River.
"Then I just kind of stayed under the brush and under the ferns, in between logs and so forth, and just started making my way back towards the falls," he said.
He eventually made it back close to the trail, where he heard the voice of a woman. She was one of three local college students out for a hike.
"And that was my hallelujah moment, you know," Tracey said of meeting up with the students, who got him help.
The man spent several days in the hospital before being released. Authorities apparently returned to the scene and recovered his dogs.
Meanwhile, police continue to search for his attackers.
They are described as being in their mid 20s to early 30s, between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall with a medium build. Both were described as being of either Native American or Hispanic descent and one was described as having a lighter complexion than the other.
The following is a sketch of the suspects released by police.
Tracey's SUV has not been located and police are hoping someone out there will spot it. The vehicle is a 1998 Ford Explorer with Washington license plate number 455-YHY.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Skamania County detectives at (509) 427-9490.
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