Search San Jacinto Peak

Written by Dana Potts

RMRU received a request to search for a single male hiker lost in the area of San Jacinto Peak. The initial team page was sent out around 11pm. The subject had called on his cell phone to say he was lost but ok and could spend the night safely. Team members were requested to respond to the Fuller Ridge Trailhead past the Black Mtn. Camp at 6am the next morning.

Gwenda, Dana, and Rob responded initially in the morning to the trailhead. We were provided with a location from the subject’s cell phone by the phone company which put the subject on the North Face of San Jacinto. Dana and Rob started hiking up the Fuller Ridge Trail. Within 30 minutes the Riverside County Helicopter Star-9 was overhead. Rob and Dana chose to let the helicopter make an initial search up and down Snow Creek before committing to a long hike to the Peak. Thankfully Star 9 also checked above the Ridge Line and found our missing hiker around the 9,500 foot level above Little Round Valley.

Star 9 hoisted Rob from the Fuller Ridge Trail to be flown to the subject where he helped to effect a safe extraction of the subject without incident. The subject was a little cold and hungry but in good spirits and thankful for the rescue. Dana hiked back down to the command post where Lew of RMRU and several Desert Search and Rescue members were standing by to help search if needed.

The subject had begun his hike around 6am Sunday morning in the desert on the Skyline Trail. He reached the Tramway late but continued on to the summit of San Jacinto around 6pm. He had planned to return via the Palm Springs Tram however, he made a wrong turn in the dark.

RMRU team members present: Paul Caraher, Lew Kingman, Rob May, Patrick McCurdy, Dana Potts, and Gwenda Yates.