Skyline Corona Search
March 24, 2022
Hagador Canyon
2022-09
Written by: James Eckhardt
At 9:00PM on Thursday, we were notified there was a missing hiker near Skyline in Corona, and at 10:00PM we were officially activated. I was the first RMRU member at the trailhead and was able to talk to the reporting party, the subject’s sister, who was helpful in providing us with accurate information. She had started hiking up Hagador Canyon with the subject at 3:30PM, however he was a faster hiker. They were separated, the subject’s sister hiked back to the trailhead, waited until sunset and called 911 for a search. Based on geotagged photos she had taken and a ping from location sharing on the subject’s cell phone, we were able to make an effective search plan. This information ultimately led to a quick search and rescue.
Blake and I planned to hike up Hagador Canyon trail, and when Steve and Vinay arrived, they were to drive up Skyline and search the top of Hagador Canyon. Blake and I quickly hiked up the trail, and we assumed the subject would be awake due to San Bernadino Sheriff’s Aviation flying loudly overhead. At 0.7 miles into the trail, there was a junction, and as Blake hiked 50 feet up the adjoining path/scramble, I looked down the main trail and saw the subject slowly walking towards me. It was immediately obvious that he had a head injury. He was mobile, so we decided the best course of action was to continue hiking out to get him to higher medical care as soon as possible. We notified base to have an ambulance waiting, and we made good time over the short distance back to the trailhead where we handed the subject over the firefighter paramedics and AMR. We wish the subject a full and speedy recovery.
RMRU Members Involved:
Blake Douglas, Eric Holden, James Eckhardt, Steven Rider, Vinay Rao
Other Agencies Involved:
Riverside Sheriff’s Aviation, San Bernardino Sheriff’s Aviation, Corona PD