Two Lost and Cold Hikers
May 19, 2024
Annie’s Junction on PCT
2024-015
Written by: Geoffrey Marshall
On Sunday night at 10:20pm, RMRU was given a heads up that two female hikers were lost near Strawberry Junction. Rescue 9 would attempt to hoist them out with their
helicopter. At 10:53pm, it was reported the helicopter extraction had failed due to high winds, and RMRU was engaged to begin the mission. The team assembled in
Idyllwild shortly after. Coby would run the coms at base, and Andy would lead into the field with Geoff supporting. We were told the subjects might be hypothermic, and
were given a pin of their location from when they called 911.
The weather was fair as we began our ascent up Devils Slide at Humber Park. We made good time, and as we passed through Saddle Junction, the wind began to pick
up. About one mile from the mapped location we began calling out “Search and Rescue”, but the wind made it difficult to hear. We had reached 9000ft and the
temperature had dropped considerably. The snow we were walking on became slightly icy.
At 4:00am, and about 200ft from the marked location, we saw two headlamps turn on. We had located the hikers. They were cold and exhausted, but agreed to start moving.
When we reached a warmer location further down the mountain, we mixed some Gatorade powder for them and provided a battery bank to charge their phones. They
had gotten lost after summiting San Jacinto, and lost access to their maps when their phones died.
All four of us arrived back at Humber Ppark just after sunrise. We notified Riverside Sheriffs that the hikers would need a ride, and they were already waiting for us at the
trail head. As we handed them off, Andy held a quick debrief, and then called in the mission as being successfully completed.
It’s always a good idea to bring a fully charged battery bank and paper maps as a backup when relying on smart phones for navigation.
RMRU Members Involved: (Coby Brown, Andy Hayt, Coby, Eric Holden, and Geoffrey
Marshall)
Other Agencies Involved: (Rescue 9 and Riverside Sheriffs)