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Rescue Log: Injured, Missing, Stranded Hikers
A round-up of February calls answered by the Sierra Madre Search and
Rescue Team.
March 5, 2012
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The following was provided by Sierra Madre Search and Rescue:

During the month of February, SMSR responded to four calls for
assistance.

Injured Hiker, Big Santa Anita Canyon

Members of a hiking party at Chantry Flat reported that two of their
companions were overdue and possibly injured. Due to darkness and poor
weather conditions hypothermia was also a concern. SMSR field crews
were immediately dispatched and found the missing subjects, one of
whom was injured. A litter and additional personnel were sent to the
site and the subjects were evacuated.

Missing Hikers, Big Santa Anita Canyon

SMSR was notified of two hikers missing in the Chantry Flat area, and
responded along with units from the L.A. County Sheriff and Fire
departments and the U.S. Forest Service. Cell phone contact was
established with the subjects and Team members were able to determine
their location based on their description of their surroundings. While
Team members assisted the two lost hikers back to Chantry Flat, two
more hikers reported that they, too, needed assistance, and Team
members brought them to safety as well.

Stranded Hikers, Eaton Canyon

Altadena Mountain Rescue requested assistance in rescuing four hikers
who became stranded after dark in a steep, exposed area of Eaton
Canyon. Sierra Madre Search and Rescue and Altadena Mountain Rescue
conduct joint trainings for just this kind of situation, and the
rescue operation went smoothly. Using ropes and harnesses members of
both teams assisted all four subjects safely to the bottom of Eaton
Canyon and then out to the road.

New SMSR Trainees

A new class of probationary members began their training in February,
the first step on the arduous road to becoming a full member of Sierra
Madre Search and Rescue. The probationary members will attend class
one night per week, plus team meetings and trainings three times a
month. The skills they will have to master include high-angle rescue,
land navigation, patient packaging, man-tracking, helicopter
operations, snow and ice travel, swiftwater rescue, and radio
operations. Then once they’ve qualified for the team they’ll head back
to school to become nationally-certified EMT’s. The entire process
takes approximately two years and represents a tremendous commitment
of time and effort. But it is all necessary to uphold the team motto:
“Anywhere in the wilderness that someone needs help…”

For 60 years the all-volunteer Sierra Madre Search and Rescue team has
been responding to calls for help in the local mountains and beyond.
Funded entirely by private donations, SMSR provides a range of public
programs on wilderness safety in addition to its search and rescue
activities. The Team never charges for any of its services.

For more information, including how to arrange a wilderness safety
demonstration for your school or group, visit www.smsr.org.



Related Topics: Sierra Madre Search and Rescue
What do you think of these incidents? Tell us in the comments.


Injured Hiker Located by Rescuers, Airlifted by Helicopter,
Hospitalized
The unidentified female injured her leg and was stranded near Wellman
Divide, north of Devil's Slide Trail and Idyllwild, according to the
Sheriff's Department.
By Guy McCarthy Email the author February 12, 2012
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A hiker with an injured leg was located by rescuers Saturday evening,
airlifted by a Cal Fire helicopter crew Sunday morning, and
hospitalized, a sheriff's sergeant said.

The unidentified female was stranded near Wellman Divide, north of the
Devil's Slide Trail and Idyllwild, and deputies received a call for
assistance from California State Park rangers just before noon
Saturday, Sgt. Jesus Orona of the sheriff's Hemet Station said.

Volunteers with the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit and a sheriff's
helicopter crew began searching and located the hiker early Saturday
evening, "but the weather and terrain prevented an immediate airlift,"
Orona said.

At 8:20 a.m. Sunday, "a California Department of Forestry Air Rescue
helicopter airlifted the hiker to safety," Orona said. "The hiker
received medical attention and was transported to Desert Regional
Hospital for further medical attention."

Anyone with more information about the incident was urged to contact
the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Hemet Station at (951)
791-3400.

Hiker ID'd in Saturday's fatal fall near St. Peter's Dome
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 12:34
By MATT STEINER, THE GAZETTE
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday that the 19-year-
old who fell to his death near St. Peter’s Dome on Saturday was
Colorado Springs resident Ryan Wahl.
Wahl was hiking with a friend around 1 p.m. Saturday when he fell more
than 100 feet from an overlook off Old Stage Road, according to the
Sheriff’s Office. A 911 caller reported the fall at about 1:15 p.m.
A wake will be held for Wahl at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Sport
Climbing Center at 4650 Northpark Drive near Garden of the Gods Road
and Interstate 25. Visitation will be at noon Thursday at Woodmen
Valley Chapel, 290 E. Woodmen Road, with a funeral service at 1 p.m.,
also at Woodmen Valley.