At 2002 hours the Team was called to assist in locating a 21-year-old male and a 56-year-old male who had departed together from Horseshoe Lake and became separated later in the day. Their intent was to hike to the Mammoth Crest and then to Deer Lakes, Duck Lake, and exit at the Coldwater trailhead.

The Team staged at the Horseshoe Lake parking lot and six field teams were sent out to different trailheads in the Lakes Basin. The reporting party (RP) who was wife and mother to the missing hikers, was able to establish communication via SMS message with her son, and he communicated his location as indicated by the GPS receiver on his phone. Two field teams were nearly, and they were directed to the location.

There had been no communication with the second hiker, but fortunately he was located by a field team on the Duck Pass Trail between Skelton and Barney Lakes. He was escorted out to the trailhead, and transported to search base.

Hiking out with our subject near Skelton Lake. Image by J. Lipman

Shortly thereafter, the first hiker located hiked out in the company of the two field teams that had been in the area. The operation terminated at 2334 hours.

IC: Rhoads, Salazar Ops Leader: Beck Responders: Lipman, Baron, Buchanan, Thompson, Senior, Quiring, Haugh, Trainor, Brownlee, Childers, Hunsinger, Huizingh, Anderson, Gerber, Patterson, Salay, Wallace