Lost Mother and Son at 10,000 Feet
May 24-25, 2024
Below Jean Peak in San Jacinto Mountains
2024-016
Written by: Geoffrey Marshall
At 7:38pm, RMRU received a standby alert about a mother and son lost above the Palm Springs Tramway. Rescue-9 would be attempting to hoist them out via helicopter. By 7:56pm the RMRU alert was escalated to a mission callout as winds prevented a helicopter rescue. The subjects were reported to be hypothermic and wind chill was expected to dip down to 30°F.
The RMRU team assembled at the tramway one hour later. Richard would lead into the field with Geoff supporting. Eric provided remote assistance by drawing a potential GPS route to the subject’s last known location. Riverside Sheriffs would support as base via radio at the bottom of the mountain.
The wind was roaring when we stepped off the tram. Strong gusts shook the tram station doors while we verified radio contact with the sheriffs before exiting. We followed the trail toward Round Valley before breaking off to head up the Sid Davis route. Within a mile of the subjects’ last known location, the trail disappeared under snowy patches on the steep terrain. We relied almost entirely on GPS to navigate forward. We began calling out, but the wind gusts made it difficult to hear any response.
Just after midnight, and about 500ft from the subjects’ pinned location, we heard our first call back. The subjects had no light, so we instructed them to stay in place. We descended carefully down a ridge following their voices. They had sheltered themselves between a few boulders to protect themselves from the wind.
Both subjects were shivering, and their socks were soaking wet. The mother had trouble moving due to how cold she was. She had been lying on a rock, which was sapping away her body heat. Richard moved her to a foam pad and assessed the subjects’ conditions. They were instructed to remove their wet cotton socks, which we replaced with two wool dry pairs, along with gloves and jackets. We fed them sugary snacks and Gatorade to help start to raise their body temperatures.
When we set out to begin our return, it became clear the mother was unstable walking and would need assistance. She also appeared to be experiencing some acute mountain sickness from elevation. Backtracking along the difficult terrain we approached from would not be an option. A well-maintained path called “Peak Trail” showed as being 300ft uphill.
Our first attempted route connecting there was not successful and led to a dead end with dense thorny brush and a steep drop off. Richard assisted the subjects in backtracking while Geoff scouted ahead until we found a connecting route.
Although the Peak Trail was well maintained, we still encountered long sections of snow with some ice. We took turns having one team member scout the route just ahead, while the other helped assist the mother walking.
By 4:30am we had arrived at the upper tram station. Richard made one last medical assessment on the subjects and radioed to base that we would wait there until the first tram arrived. After a short sunrise ride down, we reached the lower tram station and transferred the subjects into Riverside Sheriff’s custody. At 5:55pm, Richard called in our mission as being officially complete.
Sometimes hikes do not go as planned. Having a fully charged headlamp with extra batteries, reliable maps, wool (rather than cotton) socks / clothing, hat and gloves, and extra layers of clothing are essential when exploring trails outdoors, especially in alpine backcountry.
RMRU Members Involved: (Geoffrey Marshall and Richard Yocum)
Other Agencies Involved: (Rescue 9, Riverside County Sheriffs, Palm Springs Aerial Tram)