July 13, 2020 Op 20-305 #9

At 1434 the team was called to assist a 42 year old male from San Diego who was exhibiting symptoms of possible AMS or heat exhaustion on the south side of Agnew Lake. Rescue Base was established at the Rush Creek Trailhad. Field team 1 began hiking up the Rush Creek Trail, followed shortly thereafter by field teams 2 and 3.

Team 1 arrived at the subject’s location and began a medical assessment. The subject exhibited symptoms of hyponatremia and AMS, exacerbated by possible heat exhaustion. The subject was given Gatorade which appeared to improve his symptoms.

Assessing the subject.

Teams 2 & 3 joined team 1 at the subject’s location. After a short period of recovery, the subject felt well enough to walk a short distance to the top of the Southern California Edison winch-powered tram at the north end of Agnew Lake.

Three team members (one twenty-something and two 30-somethings) rode the tram in the cool breeze in a comfortable seat with the subject and his companion while the remainder of the field teams (one 63-year-old, a 60-year-old, and a 57-year-old) hiked out in the hot afternoon sun on the exposed dusty, rocky trail.

The subject was met at the end of the tram ride by two Mono County medics who evaluated the subject and determined that hospital transport was not necessary, although advised. The subject declined medic transport, and was delivered back to his vehicle at the Rush Creek Trailhead. After a short debriefing, the call-out was terminated at 1845 hours. 

At the top of the Southern California Edison maintenance tram, preparing to descend to the power station. Image by J. Wallace

IC: Pelichowski Ops Leader: Beck Responders: Wallace, Bush, Torrence, Evans, Buchanan, Quiring, Kaufman, and Creager. 

July 10, 2020 Op 20-300 #8

The Team received a call for assistance at 1550 for a 67-year-old male hiker from Delaware with symptoms of AMS just west of the intersection of the Rush Creek Trail and the John Muir Trail, just east of Donohue Pass.

The Team responded to the Rush Creek Trailhead near Silver Lake in the June Lake Loop, and a field team of 2 began to hike in as other field team members gathered gear. CHP H40 was requested but was unable to assist. 

Assembling at the trailhead for the hike in.

Naval Air Station Lemoore was requested, and they accepted the mission and began flight preparations for their Seahawk, Lasso 01, a Sikorsky UH 60 variant.  Lasso arrived in the area at 1810, and field team one was held at Agnew Lake. The remaining field teams were held at base. Lasso located the subject, and then landed to drop gear, and returned and loaded the subject and his traveling companion.

Hiking back with the break-apart litter and litter wheel after Lemoore Lasso extracted the subject.

They were flown to the June Mountain Ski Area parking lot, and the subject was transferred to a Mono County Medic Unit, and then transported to Conway Summit for transfer to Careflight. It is unknown where the subject was flown, or his condition. 

IC: Pelichowski Ops Leader: Beck Responders: Quiring, Kaufman, Bush, Buchanan, Knight, Zila, Senior, and Evans. 

July 3, 2020 Op 20-283 #7

At 1540 the team was called for assistance to a 34-year-old male from Oakland with a reported open fracture to his right leg, sustained while climbing the Mendenhall Couloir (aka Northeast Gully) on Laurel Mountain.  The reporting party stated that the party had been hit by rockfall, and the subject had fallen an additional 20-30 feet, had a broken climbing helmet and an altered level of consciousness, along with an open fracture.

Rescue Base was established at the Convict Lake hikers parking lot. Immediately after receiving the call, a request was made through the Office of Emergency Services (OES) for air resources. Naval Air Station Lemoore (lemooresar@IG) accepted the mission and began preflight.

Field teams 1 & 2 were assigned to approach the subject from below by climbing the route, and either lowering the subject through the night, or stabilizing him until a morning air extraction. The subject was located approximately 3/4 of the way up the route, perhaps 2,000’ up lower-angled 5th class terrain, but descending from above had a high likelihood of generating rockfall on the route, and hitting the subject.

Team 3 was assigned to provide communication services at the intersection of Highway 395 & Convict Lake Road. Team 4 was assigned to radio relay at the top of a ridge to the east of Rescue Base. Team 5 carried both halves of the break-apart titanium litter, and the litter wheel to the base of the climbing route. A spotting team at the east side of Convict Lake could view the subject and his partners through high-powered optics, as well as teams 1 & 2 as they prepared for their ascent.

At 1825 Lemoore (call sign Lasso) arrived in a Seahawk (Sikorsky UH-60 variant) and began searching for the subjects, guided by radio communications from the spotting team. Three team members began their ascent to the subject. After Lasso located the subject and his companions, they made several low approaches to test the downdrafts and power check, as winds were steady 25 knots, gusting to 40, and the subject location was on the lee (downwind) side of Laurel Mountain.

Waiting on the progress of the Lemoore Seahawk at the entrance to the Mendenhall Couloir/NortheastGully

Lasso flew to the Mammoth-Yosemite airport to drop excess gear (weight) and returned to the incident site at approximately 10,500’. Due to the warm temperature and low barometric pressure, the aircrew were reporting a density altitude (DA, pressure altitude adjusted for non-standard temperature. The higher the DA, the less aircraft performance) of 12,948’, just 52’ below their 13,000’ service ceiling.

Lasso was able to lower their medic to the subject location, then departed the area to burn some fuel (weight) while the subject was assessed and packaged for the hoist.  Lasso was able to retrieve their medic and the subject, and they were transported to the Mammoth-Yosemite airport, and the subject was transferred to the care of Mono County medics, and transported to Mammoth Hospital.

Despite darkness, Lasso returned to the incident site twice more to hoist the subject’s companions, one who also had a significant injury. The subject’s injuries, while serious, turned out to be less serious than initially reported, with a fractured patella and various scrapes and contusions.

All field team members returned to base for debriefing, and at 2233, the call was terminated. 

IC: Hansen/Pelichowski Ops Leader: Beck Responders:  Bush, Buchanan, Torrence, Quiring, Senior, Patterson, Thompson, Zila, Wallace, Endo, Firer, Kaufman, Creager, Cucura, Cowan, and Knight. 

July 3, 2020 Op 20-281 #6

At 0843 the team was called out for a 61 year old male from Williams, CA who was experiencing chest pains, near Gem Lake. Team members responded and base was established at the Rush Creek Trailhead. Field teams #1 & #2 began hiking up the Rush Creek Trail.

CHP H40 helo arrived on scene at about 1025 and began looking for the subject. At 1053, the helo extracted the subject and flew him to the June Mountain parking lot, where a Care-Flight helo was waiting. The subject refused to take the Care-Flight, and was taken by H40 to Fresno.  After a quick debriefing, the call-out was terminated at 1123. 

IC: Pelichowski Ops Leader: Beck Responders:  Bush, Torrence, Firer, Buchanan, Wallace, Quiring, Senior, Pavlovsky, Zila, Patterson, Knight, Thompson, and Endo.

June 24, 2020 Op 20-263 #5

At 1758 the team was called out for a possible drowning at Six Bays on Crowley Lake. According to the reporting party, the wind blew a small float raft into the water at Six Bays. The subject went into the water to retrieve the raft.  Shortly thereafter, the reporting party said she heard the subject yell "help", but then he disappeared from sight at approximately 1611 hours.

The team members met at the Crowley Lake marina to plan the search. A Team member had his boat at the marina and volunteered to take some members out on the lake to search for the subject. Three Mono County Sheriff boats and a Long Valley Fire Department boat were searching for the subject, while the Mono SAR team members searched the shoreline.

Search for a missing person.

Assembling for a shoreline search.

None of the searchers were able to located the subject and the call was suspended at 2109 hours.  The missing person was located the next day by a San Bernardino dive team in 19’ of water.

IC: Hansen Ops Leader: Bush Responders:  Torrence, Buchanan, Kaufman, Evans, Mulligan, Frolio, Anderson, Quiring, Patterson, Zila, Cucura, and Senior. 

June 19, 2020 Op 20-254 #4

At approximately 2000 on June 19th, four team members responded to search for a 21-year-old female from Newport Beach with a medical condition in the Steelhead & Wasco lakes area. Her physician had called her home to report results from recent testing that indicated a health crisis. The physician was unable to reach the subject, but did speak with a close relative who called the Mono County Sheriff’s Office to report her location and request assistance.

A field team of 4 were ferried across Saddlebag like in the Sheriff’s Office patrol boat, and hiked to the Steelhead Lake area, calling out family member's names and using whistle blasts.  After several hours of waking up many campers at various campsites, the family was located between Wasco and Greystone lakes at approximately 0115 on 6/20. They were informed of the situation, and packed up camp.  The Team hiked them out to where the patrol boat was waiting at Saddlebag Lake to take them back across to their car. They sought medical attention on their own accord.

On the boat ride across Saddlebag Lake.

IC: Pelichowski (and boat driver) Ops Leader: Bush Responders: Patterson, Kaufman, and Quiring. 

May 26, 2020 Op 20-217 #3

The Team was called for a report of an overdue 29 year old hiker from San Diego who was said to be traveling from Buckeye Canyon to Peeler Lake. Search Base was set up at the Barney Lake trailhead at Mono Village, west of Bridgeport.  Four teams left base at 1900 to search the Barney Lake, Peeler Lake, and surrounding areas.  CHP helicopter H40 assisted until darkness.  All field teams bivouacked at 2330, and resumed searching at sunrise. 

Crossing Robinson Creek late at night. Image by M. Quiring

Searching near Peeler Lake. Image by M. Quiring

Still some deep snow on the shady north aspects. Image by M. Quiring

Robinson Creek in the daylight. Image by M. Quiring

The subject was located at Buckeye Hot Springs, and the search was terminated. All field teams were recalled returning at 1800. 

IC: Hansen Ops Leader: Bush/Beck Responders: Kaufman, Quiring, Godshalk, Hodges, Anderson, Cucura, Patterson, Senior, Buchanan, Wallace, Creager, and Evans. 

February 22, 2020 Op 20-103 #2

At 2051 the team was called for an overdue 57 year-old female hiker from Crowley Lake, who was hiking with her two dogs. The reporting party said the hiker was going to be hiking in the area NW of the Brown's Owens River Campground. Search Base was established on a dirt road, just NW of Brown's Campground. The IC was already on scene and was searching in the Sheriff's off-road vehicle. All four team members were requested to remain at base, until needed in the field. After about an hour, the subject drove to Search Base.

According to the subject, she got lost and became disoriented while looking for her vehicle.  She was able to use her mobile phone to call her family to report she was lost. Shortly thereafter, she saw vehicle lights and proceeded to walk in that direction. She soon reached her vehicle, and drove to Search Base. After interviewing the subject, the call-out was terminated at 2243. 

IC: Pelichowski Ops Leader: Bush Responders: Torrence, Pavlovsky, and Senior.  The Team volunteered 12 man hours for this call.

January 22, 2020 Op 20-41 #1

The Team received a request for assistance from a female skier with an injured lower leg in the Fern Lake/Yost Meadow area. The Team responded to the June Mountain Ski Area parking lot, and a Team of 3 snomos transported 4 other team members (with assistance from JMSA Ski Patrol, who also served as guides) to an area near Yost Meadow. The ground team proceeded toward the injured skier’s reported location by headlamp.

CHP H80 was requested, and agreed to assist despite the darkness. Just prior to the ground team’s arrival at the incident location, H80 was able to extract the skier and transport her to the June Mountain parking lot. The field team arrived very shortly thereafter, and skied out with the subject’s party to Highway 158, where all were retrieved.

The subject arranged for her own transport to seek medical care. The snomo team returned to base, and the operation concluded at 2320.

IC: Pelichowski Ops Leader: Beck/Buchanan Responders: Patterson, Evans, Carlson, Cowan, Mulligan, Anderson, Senior, Hartstrom

December 11, 2019 #52

At 1700 Riverside County requested mutual aid for a search for a missing hiker on Mt. Baldly. Mono County SAR sent 4 team members to participate in the search, and their search assignment was in the vicinity of the Bear Canyon Trail and the Ski Hut Trails, arriving via a hike along the Devils Backbone, accessed via chairlift and hiking.

The team of 4 bivouacked overnight, resumed their search on the next day (December 13), but then a SAR volunteer from Riverside County lost his life in a fall during the search, and the search was suspended. The field team exited via the Manker Flat Trail. The remains of the hiker were eventually found in July 2020.

IC: Pelichowski Responders: Buchanan, Kaufman, Quiring, and Wallace

November 25-26, 2019 #51

On the evening of Monday, November 25, the Team was called to assist a hiker stranded above cliffs in the Cottonwood Creek drainage. The Team elected to postpone response until the following morning as it was already dark by the time the call came in.

The Team responded to Bolthouse Farms in Hammil Valley. Six team members were transported to the end of the access road via 4-wheel drive pickup and Polaris Ranger 6-wheeler. One field team (Team 2) of two began ascending the ridge dividing Willow Creek and Cottonwood Creek. The other field team (Team 1), with four members, began ascending Cottonwood Canyon.

Cottonwood Canyon soon became impassable due to narrow constrictions with vertical side walls with the creek running along the bottom, partly frozen. The field team left the bottom of the canyon to attempt to attempt to avoid the impassable sections of the canyon. One member of field team 1 was injured by rockfall, and exited the area with assistance from another team member.

In the depths of Cottonwood Canyon.

Field team 2 and the remainder of field team 1 met on the ridge above the canyon, and then new location information was provided by the hiker’s Inreach unit. The uninjured hiker was located soon thereafter near the mouth of Cottonwood Canyon, and he was driven back to Rescue Base.

A member of field team 1 high on the ridge above Cottonwood Canyon (team member just left of center in a white helmet).

IC: Pelichowski Ops Leader: Beck/Kaufman Responders: Thompson, Senior, Patterson, Hodges

On the ridge above Cottonwood Canyon with Hammil Valley and the Sierra in the background.

November 9, 2019 #50

On the afternoon of November 9, the Sheriff’s Office contacted the Team concerning a hiker who had become confused about his location. A Sheriff’s Deputy responded and was able to make voice contact, but wasn’t sure he would be able to extract the hiker. A limited team callout was initiated, but was cancelled prior to the Team’s arrival at the trailhead, as the hiker was able to exit unassisted.

IC: Pelichowski. Responders: Buchanan, Evans, Quiring

November 3, 2019 #49

On Sunday morning, November 3rd, at 11:44 am, the Team was called to assist in the recovery of a female motorist who had departed the roadway on Highway 120 West. The motorist had started her journey possibly on October 30, and was reported overdue on November 2nd, and her vehicle was located on November 3rd. The motorist was unfortunately deceased as her car had left the roadway and was approximately 450’ down the embankment.

Image by B. Beck

A field team descended, packaged the motorist, and a technical raise transported the field team and the litter uphill to the roadway. The Sheriff-Coroner took custody of the motorist.

Accident site. Image by E. Kaufman

IC: Pelichowski. Ops Leader: Hammack, L. Responders: Beck, Buchanan, Case, Endo, Evans, Kaufman, Patterson, Pavlovsky, Senior.

October 28-30, 2019 #48

On Monday morning, October 28, the Mono County Sheriff’s Office was advised of an overdue party of two females that had the stated intention of climbing the Red Slate Couloir on Red Slate Mountain, at 13,140’ elevation. The reporting party stated that they were going to investigate, and to delay SAR deployment. Later in the afternoon, the reporting party requested MOSAR assistance.

Red Slate Mountain, with Red Slate Couloir the left-leaning snow/ice strip running from the snowfield to near the summit.

Air resources were requested by the Sheriff’s Office, and a CHP helicopter made a reconnaisance flight and located two climbers in the couloir, approximately 600’ feet up, and reported that no movement was noted. A MOSAR ground team hiked to the couloir entry, and made similar observations. The ground team returned to base due to the late hour.

On Tuesday October 29 at approximately 9:30 am, MOSAR field teams were flown in to the base of the couloir near Constance Lake in a CH-47 Chinook. The helicopter attempted a hoist lowering to the subject’s location, but found their hoist cable to be too short for the sketchy and hazardous conditions encountered, with continued risk of rockfall in the couloir.

CH-47 Chinook off-loading the field teams at the base of Red Slate Couloir.

One team of 3 began an ascent of the Red Slate Couloir, and found reasonable conditions for the first 2 pitches with consolidated neve that held ice tools and ice screws well. The third pitch conditions were found to be bulletproof ice that required strenuous effort to achieve solid ice tool placements, and was tenous and exacting climbing. Ice screws were leap-frogged along the way to keep the fall risk acceptable with a limited amount of hardware. Pitch four was marginally better.

Climbing Red Slate Couloir to reach the subject’s location.

The climbing team reached the subjects late in the afternoon, and determined that they were deceased, most probably hit by large rockfall at the belay. By that time the CH-47 had returned to base due to high winds and encroaching darkness. The climbing team determined that they did not have adequate time to affect a recovery, and abseiled the route and rejoined the other ground team.

The field teams collected all of the gear and began the long hike out, arriving back at Rescue Base early in the morning. Assistance with the recovery was requested from Yosemite Search and Rescue due to their contract helicopter and expertise with short-hauling.

On Wednesday, October 30, YOSAR was able to reach the subjects with helicopter 551, and transport them to the base of the couloir. They reconfigured their airship and transported the subjects from the base of the couloir to Mammoth-Yosemite Airport for the Coroner investigation.

IC: Pelichowski. Ops Leader: Buchanan. Reponders: Creager, Hammack, L, Senior, Hartstrom, Quiring, Patterson, Knight, Thompson, Gilbreath, Hodges, Mulligan, Pavlovsky, Anderson, Godshalk.

October 15, 2019 #47

On Tuesday, October 15 at 9:30 am, the Sheriff’s Office received a request for mutual aid from Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR). YOSAR was requesting assistance in a search for a missing 65-year-old female near the Park’s northern boundary. The subject was located soon after the request, and the call was terminated at 1:03 pm.

IC: Sheriff’s Office

September 29, 2019 #46

On Sunday September 29 at 12:51 pm, the Team responded to a request for assistance from a pair of hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail near Leavitt Lake. The hikers found an unresponsive male lying on the trail. They initiated CPR and called for assistance.

Two field teams responded to the location, but upon their arrival it was determined that the subject was deceased. The remains were packaged and transported to the U.S. Highway 108 and Leavitt Lake Road intersection, and were remanded to the Tuolumne County Coroner, as the incident location was just inside the Tuolumne County line.

IC: Pelichowski. Ops Leader: Hammack, L. Responders: Creager, Hansen, T, Kallemeyn, Hartstrom, Knight

September 27, 2019 #45

On the afternoon of September 27, 2019, it was reported to the Mono County Sheriff’s Office that the 84 pound hiking companion of an elderly couple near Cooney Lake had injured his foot, and the foot could no longer bear weight.

A deputy from the Mono County Sheriff’s Office and a MOSAR team member responded with a wheeled litter and transported the subject to the trailhead at Virginia Lakes. The reporting party transported the subject via POV for treatment of his injuries.

IC: Pelichowski. Ops Leader: Hammack, L

September 17, 2019 #44

On September 17, 2019, at 5:04 pm, the Team was requested to respond to assist a 71-year-old female with leg lacerations in Lundy Canyon. Field teams departed the Lundy Canyon trailhead just west of Lundy Lake and located the subject on the trail.

The subject was treated, packaged, and loaded into the wheeled litter, and then transported to the trailhead in the wheeled litter. She declined further medical attention, and opted to transport to Mammoth Hospital via personal vehicle to seek treatment. The call concluded at 7 pm.

IC: Pelichowski. Ops Leader: Buchanan. Responders: Quiring, Kaufman, Bush, Patterson, Hartstrom, Creager, Cucura, Senior, Anderson

September 13, 2019 #43

On Friday, September 13, at 4:18 pm, the Team was requested to assist a 57-year-old female with a lower leg injury near Crystal Lake. Three field teams responded from Wood’s Lodge, and located the subject about 45 minutes later. The subject was treated, packaged, and transported via wheeled litter back to Wood’s Lodge.

Above lake George. Image by J. Bush

Rolling the litter down the Crystal Lake trail above Lake George. Image by D. Firer

The subject was transferred from the care of the Team to Mono County Medics, who transported her to Mammoth Hospital. The operation was terminated at 7:20 pm.

IC: Minder. Ops Leader: Pavlovsky/Bush. Responders: Evans, Cucura, Firer, Kaufman, Senior, Torrence

September 11, 2019 #42

On Wednesday, September 11, at 2 am, the Team was requested to assist in the search for an 88-year-old male subject with dementia, last seen at a condominium in the Snowcreek I/II/III development. Mammoth Lakes Police Department was coordinating the search, and mixed field teams of officers and SAR team members searched the area.

Upon inquiry, Mammoth Hospital stated that a person matching the description of the subject had been delivered to the hospital, but he had since left. The focus of the search was moved to Mammoth Hospital, and the subject was located soon thereafter sitting in an unlocked vehicle in the Mammoth Hospital parking lot. This operation concluded at 4:19 am.

IC: MLPD. Ops Leader: Beck. Responders: Creager, Kaufman, Knight, Evans, Buchanan, Hartstrom, Patterson