2025-015

Lost Hiker Near Round Valley

May 04, 2025
Tramway
2025-015

Written by: David Altenburg

At about 8:45pm on Sunday evening, we got a callout for a hiker who was lost near Round Valley. After checking the weather, we saw that it was currently snowing, with temperatures hovering around freezing.

At around 10:30, I arrived in the Tramway parking lot to see Coby, Alex, and Solan already there. Stephanie and Geoff were on their way. The Tramway employees were keeping the tram open so that we could ascend. The subject had been in contact with RSO via text and was staying in place under a tree trunk.

Given that we had a location and the subject had been told to stay put, we expected to reach the subject quickly and were hopeful that they would be mobile. Alex, Solan, and I were to go up the tram as the first team. Coby would take Geoff and Stephanie up to the litter once they arrived. Coby would then run base from the upper tram station. Geoff and Stephanie waited at the station until we had assessed the subject and determined if the litter or any additional equipment was necessary.

There was not much snow on the ground when we set out on the High Trail, but it was falling quickly. With temperatures right around freezing, snow started accumulating on the ground; what landed on us melted immediately. Between the melting snow and the exertion of the hike, we could not stay dry, but it was an otherwise pleasant evening on the mountain.

After about 3 miles of hiking, we spotted a headlamp. We could not see the subject, but he responded verbally to a callout. When we reached the headlamp, we found the subject sheltered beneath a large tree trunk with the headlamp placed strategically where we could see its light from a distance. He was out of food but had plenty of water. Alex performed a medical assessment, and other than being cold, wet, and hungry, the subject was in decent shape. We gave him a sleeping pad, a dry coat, and some snacks, and he said he would be able to hike back with us after a few minutes to warm up. He had started the previous day in Palm Springs and made it to San Jacinto peak but had lost the trail back to the tram once the snow started.

On the hike back, we offered to carry the subject’s pack, but he insisted on carrying it himself. Once we started moving, he said he appreciated the pace because it was keeping him warm. About halfway back, we met up with Geoff and Stephanie, who were hiking to meet us. We met Coby at the upper tram station just before 2am. The tram had stopped running for the night, so we spent the night in the station trying to get some sleep until 5am when the Tramway employees came up to bring us back down.

RMRU Members Involved: (David Altenburg, Coby Brown, Alex Cochran, Geoffrey Marshal, Stephanie Robertson, and Solan Watts)