http://www.swrnn.com/2012/04/02/man-stranded-at-idyllwild-mountaintop-safely-rescued/

Man stranded at Idyllwild mountaintop safely rescued
By City News Service, on April 2, 2012, at 7:28 pm
A hiker who became stranded on an iced-over mountain peak in Idyllwild and had to be helped down by rescuers was recovering today from his ordeal.
The hiker, whose identity was not released, was attempting to descend from the 8,000-foot Tahquitz Peak when he ran into trouble about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Sgt. Ken Ditton said the man was unable to thread his way around ice covering the mountain and called 911. The county’s Mountain Rescue Unit was activated, and searchers went looking for the hiker, locating him about five hours later.
Ditton said rescue personnel escorted the man down the mountain to safety by 9 a.m. this morning. He was evaluated by paramedics and found to be uninjured.

The sergeant said the incident highlights the importance of preparedness, which means a “well-thought-out travel plan shared with friends and family, as well as familiarity with common hiking equipment … proper clothing and plenty of water.”

glad to here the guy was ok, but ...

cell phones and rescue teams are enabling devices.

I always call the ranger the days before to get a current trail condition, and recommendation for crampons or the ice axe, and the weather report is always available.

When I go for a solo day hike, I carry enough gear and food, for worst case scenario of injury, over night.

only time I would consider calling for help if solo and injury was severe that first aid kit couldn't patch, like broken leg.

"cell phones and rescue teams are enabling devices."

And so is every other piece of equipment we bring. Why is everyone so harsh and judgmental? The media barely goes into enough detail for anyone to make a fair judgement, yet everyone jumps to the (frequently incorrect) conclusion that the victim was totally at fault. Several years ago, my wife had a friend who was broadsided by a city bus and killed on impact. The media reported that her cell phone was found yards away from the crash and the public jumped onto that single published statement. What was the public's conclusion? They just assumed she was on her phone while driving and it was her fault she got hit and rapidly condemned her and everyone else who has a cell phone on their person while in a car. "Oh no, not me! I would never do that! I'm much smarter than the rest of you." What was the conclusion that was never covered by the media? She was NOT on her cell phone. The bus driver ran a red light and hit her so hard that her cell phone was thrown clear from the car. My point? Don't assume you have all the facts, because chances are that you don't and when you end up in a situation that gets the public's attention, be prepared....oh, that's right you already are.

+1 for what Michael said.

+1 for what Michael said, but ... I can think of a few guidelines:

- remember that which you go up, you must come down
- a trail which is busy Sunday morning will thin by Sunday evening
- 5:30 PM on a Sunday is a little late for a day-hike turn-around

All kinds of other things might have gone on, but we could give the total newbie hints on how not to be there, 5:30 p.m. Sunday, "running into trouble."

... reminds me of a story. A guy was living in an Inuit village, because his wife was a school teacher. Each morning the guys would gather around a fire in a 55 gallon barrel and tell stories. It would be like "do you remember when Doug heard the ice creaking but kept on going? He fell through the ice and we never saw him again." And then everyone laughed. The stories kept coming like that, and everyone kept laughing.

So one day, the Inuits invite the outsider on a hunt, and he hears the ice creak (or whatever) and thinks "that's what got Doug!" and it all made sense.

http://idyllwildtowncrier.com/2012/04/04/difficult-rmru-rescue-likely-saves-hikers-life/

Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit volunteer and Idyllwild local Lee Arnson remembers many very difficult missions, but the Sunday night rescue of a 17-year-old hiker stranded on Tahquitz ranks near the top, both in dangerous conditions and satisfaction at the end.
“I think we may have saved a life,” said Arnson, recounting the ice-encrusted chute in the Chinquapin bowl on the northeast side of Tahquitz where the team found the stranded hiker around 10:30 p.m., Sunday, April 1. RMRU had been called out shortly after 6 p.m. after the hiker used a cell phone to call for help. “The cell phone saved him,” said Arnson. “The conditions were so brutal — ice everywhere, temperatures around zero degrees with strong gusty winds that came out of nowhere without warning. He would not have made it through the night.” Of the ice chute where they found the hiker, Arnson said, “He could not move. He was completely stuck.”

The arduous all-night hike out was just as dangerous for the team and the subject as the retrieval from the ice chute, according to Arnson. “It’s an area I dread,” he said. “Solid ice, a 40-degree slope, winds so strong that they blew one of our rescuers off his feet. It’s the most dangerous place on the mountain other than the north face of the summit.”

After finding the hiker, the team had to belay him up to the ridgeline, where ice–covered boulders made for treacherous going. “It was a full technical rescue,” said Arnson. Working with Arnson were RMRU members Helene Lohr, an Idyllwild local, and Will Carlson from Running Springs. The team and hiker bivouacked for an hour at the ranger hut and lookout tower on the top of Tahquitz. It then took until 4 a.m. to go an additional 500 yards up and down and across a major drainage, said Arnson. Eventually by Monday morning just after 9 a.m., the team got the hiker to Humber Park.

Arnson voiced concern about Pacific Crest Trail hikers venturing near the same area. “There is still a lot of snow coverage,” he said. “Sunny days melt the snow then it freezes at night. I hope the word gets out [to the PCT hikers] about the conditions.”

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department reminds all hiking enthusiasts to carry proper equipment and be aware of conditions on the mountain before beginning hikes, especially solo hikes.

BTW, there are some great people on RMRU and it is not easy to become a member.

found the rescue report

http://rmru.org/missions/2012/2012-010.html

These guys and gals are real life superheros.
and they do this on a volunteer basis.

Roger,

I looked into joining. But the time commitment was too great, especially all the training they require you to go through. Just doesn't fit into my schedule. Plus they carry heavy packs :)

I have run into them many times when they were rescuing people. One time I spent a hour talking to 2 of them, as they were intrigued with my SUL set-up. I actually emptied my pack for them. The youngest guy seemed truly interested in UL backpacking as an option. Of course they have to carry a lot of heavy gear to extract folks. Yes, lots of respect for them.

I did think about the contrast.
BPL people think: Do I REALLY need x gear?
RMRU people think: I better take extra gear just in case.

But to be fair and put things into context, BPL is for going out for adventure, exercise, fun, self-sufficiency, after hopefully having done proper research on the terrain. Whereas RMRU are dealing with an extremely limited time frame, many unknown variables of the "rescue subject," they are not there for leisure, and they are working as part of a crew on multiple teams. Example: They would rather take a bottle of water, extra headlamps, extra down jacket for the rescue subject, instead of a zen stove and melt ice into drinking water.

But I suppose when they are not in RMRU mode, and going for a fun day trip, they have a different simpler gear setup, with a few paranoid rescue gear item.

Lost hiker airlifted out of San Jacintos
Marshall Smith | May 2, 2012 |

http://idyllwildtowncrier.com/2012/05/02/lost-hiker-airlifted-out-of-san-jacintos/

On Saturday, April 28, a hiker without gear or a sleeping bag required rescue near Wellman Divide and the Pacific Crest Trail in the Idyllwild area. He had apparently gotten off the trail. The hiker used his cell phone to contact 911. Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies responded about 6:15 p.m. and an aviation unit was dispatched.

According to Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit volunteer and Idyllwild resident Lee Arnson, the aviation unit quickly spotted the hiker. He was then lifted into the helicopter and flown to safety. He was uninjured and required no medical attention.

Arnson said conditions on parts of the mountain remain difficult and could pose problems for hikers. He expects more rescues given the large number
of Pacific Crest Trail through-hikers that started the weekend of April 27 through 29. He heard some estimates about double the normal starting number.

The Sheriff’s Department advises any hiker to be properly outfitted and aware of weather and terrain conditions in the area of their planned hike.

next time I go into the San J wilderness, I'm gonna travel real BPL light, beyond SUL. So light, that I'll just call for a helicopter ride when I get tired, and I'll end up sleeping in a warm bed at home. Gear is over rated anyway. It's like a free limo taxi service from the sky.

I don't think that very many thru hikers will be rescued this year. But with such mild weather we have had this winter in southern California this year. That their are quite a bit of new hikers who have newly found spring fever and just watched a REi Tv Commercial or the Sound of Music and were inspired to climb every mountain.

San Jancinto because of it"s height and rapid rise and elevation gain when hiking the trail out of Idlywild can even give the seasoned hikers lungs a work out. Think about the the unseasoned hiker who is on a day hike with jacket and armed with a cellphone,They freak out and call 911.

The forest service really needs to charge these people for the helicopter ride if they find out they are are not seriously injured and hand them a bill demanding payment right now for the ride.If they can't pay by credit card at that point. Hand them a ticket to appear in a state or federal court depending on if it is a state or national forest. IMHO
Terry

Edited by socal-nomad on 05/04/2012 11:09:54 MDT.

I live in a major city with an Open Space Park 5 minutes from my house. There is a 1,000 ft high mountain, 1.5 mile trail to the top. people get rescued off this trail by helicopter all the time. the fire department loves the training.

http://idyllwildtowncrier.com/2012/05/13/tahquitz-rock-rescue/

This is a solid case for calling in a rescue.

One time me and a buddy heard a rumbling, like a stampede of buffalos. Flying rocks the size of small furniture, at high speed. Hid behind a giant oak tree and saw the rocks whoosh by downhill.

I went up to Mom's house for mothers day weekend. She likes to shop and have lunch in nearby Idyllwild. On saturday May 12th as were driving up the road to Idyllwild from Hemet,Ca. I spot a Rescue helicopter making a bee line for Mt. San Jacinto. Then while we were in town for about 3 hours we saw the rescue helicopter going back and forth near town were the hiking trail are searching for hiker. I was talking to the shop owners they were saying the search helicopters have been looking for lost or hurt hikers almost every weekend now.
Terry