Disorientated Hiker Skyline Trail
July 2, 2024
Corona Skyline Trail.
2024-026
Written by: Richard Yocum
I had nearly completed my drive from San Diego to Idyllwild when I diverted to Corona in re-sponse to a 12:30 pm callout for a disoriented hiker on the Skyline Trail. Andy was on scene when I arrived, and Glenn followed a brief time later driving our communications van. David Bever was also coming.
Our missing subject was a young male who had set off up the trail the evening before, route and destination unknown. Early the next morning he texted his friend from a phone borrowed from other hikers that he had broken his phone, gotten lost, and spent the night on the trail. Some other hikers came across him later that morning and provided information to law enforcement.
By the time RMRU was requested and arrived on scene, the search had been ongoing for several hours and included helicopter aerial searching and canine and off-road vehicle teams. In the process of collecting information to strategize our search efforts, we learned that his vehicle was not at the trailhead and his car keys were not found in his backpack that had been located a short distance up the trail. We suspected that he was likely no longer in the area.
Before we could deploy into the field, the license on his vehicle was picked up by a plate reader driving away from the location. A brief time later he was located at home and the mission was can-celled.
RMRU Members Involved: (David Bever, Andy Hayte, Glenn Henderson, and Richard Yocum)
Other Agencies Involved: (Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies, ROVE, Star-9, Sheriff’s blood-hound, and Corona Parks)