2023-001

Cliffed Out Hiker

January 05, 2023
La Quinta
2023-001

Written by: Tobias Moyneur

RMRU received a call to assist DSAR with a “cliffed out” hiker in La Quinta. Cliffed out is a term used when a hiker is unable to safely continue up, or down. It is always wise to ask yourself “can I go back down this part of the tail safely?” If the answer is no, you are committed to reaching the summit and are at high risk of getting cliffed out because the path ahead is unknown and retreating is no longer an option.

This was the case for today’s rescue. The subject was hiking an unfamiliar trail that became steep and loose. Hoping the tail would ease up, they pushed through a steep section of the trail with loose rock.

Unfortunately for the subject, the trail worsened, and they found themselves stuck on a small ledge a few hundred feet from the peak. The subject was stuck, unable to move up or down and was forced to spend the night on that ledge until he could contact emergency services.

RMRU Members Involved: (Blake Douglas, James Eckhardt, Donny Goetz, Eric Holden, Caleb Milner, Tobias Moyneur, and Richard Yocum)