Distressed Hiker in the Morris Creek Drainage, White Mountains. On Tuesday evening at 1930 hours, the Mono County Sheriff’s Office received a mutual aid request from neighboring Esmeralda County, NV, for a hiker in distress in the Morris Creek drainage off the 13,147-foot Boundary Peak. At 2004 hours the Team was called out after a 45-year-old hiker made a 911 call and reported that they had lost the trail after departing the summit, around the area of the Trail Canyon Saddle.
The hiker was in very complex terrain at an elevation above 10,000 feet and was not prepared to spend the night out. The subject reported being cold, wet, and disoriented. Given the unknown terrain, Rescue Operations advised the hiker to stay put. A cold weather band was moving through the area throughout the day, bringing snow and high winds, with the temperature hovering around 10˚F.
MOSAR rescue vehicle at rescue base.
Rescue Base was established at the intersection of Queen Canyon Road and US Highway 6. The Team deployed from Mono County with rescue vehicles, including one of our off-road vehicles, Ranger 1.
Rescue Operations tasked a team of four—a high team—to attempt access from the upper trail, similar to the subject’s suspected entry. Another team of four—a low team—was tasked with making entry from the base of the Morris Creek drainage. Both teams carried team medical equipment, cold weather gear, and technical rope rescue equipment.
Planning the best route to reach the subject.
As the high team departed in the Ranger, Rescue Operations reported that the subject’s location had moved considerably further down the canyon since the last 911 call. The high team was rerouted to the base of the Morris Creek Drainage to begin their ascent.
The low team continued up the road to the base of the drainage with Rescue 2, standing by. The high team made slow progress upward through thorny thickets, eventually making contact with the hiker approximately 0.5 miles up the drainage.
Field team in the Morris Creek drainage.
Field team in the Morris Creek drainage.
Field team in the Morris Creek drainage.
The subject reported that as darkness approached and the cold deepened, he feared for his life and decided to continue descending through the unknown terrain. He was not injured and required no assistance to exit the canyon. The team drove the subject to the Queen Canyon trailhead to retrieve his vehicle.
The operation was terminated at 0200 hours on Wednesday morning, May 14.