The Mono County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance with an evidence search near Mono Lake. The Team responded and searched for several hours. The search terminated at 1030 hours.
Early morning start to the search. Image by J. Lipman
The Team on their search assignments. Image by J. Lipman
IC: Pelichowski Responders: Bakas, Blackman, Buchanan, Davison, Evans, Haugh, Lipman
At 0020 hours the Team was called to search for an overdue 67-year-old male hunter in the vicinity of Piute Mountain near White Mountain Peak. Search base was established at the Barcroft Station gate. A field team was sent out on the Polaris Ranger to search an area north of search base, but their search was unsuccessful.
Inyo SAR also reposonded, and sent a field team to a new search area. The MOSAR Filed team was sent to a different search area, based on cell phone information, and they located the subject west of Piute Mountain. Unfortunately, he was deceased. His remains were packaged and transported back to search base, and then ultimately were remanded to the custody of the Inyo County Coroner.
The call was terminated at 1636 hours. IC: Pelichowski/Way Ops Leader: Bush Responders: Torrence, Knight, Roos-Collins, Evans, Thompson, Creager, Patterson, Kelly, Buchanan, Irving-Ruffing, Quiring
At 1620 hours the Team was called to assist a 78-year-old male near Matterhorn Peak who had slipped on wet rocks and fallen, injuring his forehead. The incident was reported via Inreach device, which also provided location coordinates. The Team staged at Mono Village, and two field teams hiked in with a wheeled litter, leaving rescue base at approximately 1736 hours.
Near the intersection with the Cattle Creek Trail. Image by J. Lipman
Above Mono Village on the hike in. Image by J. Bush
The subject was located at approximately 1940 hours. The field teams conducted a medical assessment, and in addition to his forehead laceration/contusion, he also reported ankle and wrist injuries. The terrain at the subject’s location was steep and difficult, but fortunately the subject was able to walk a short distance with assistance to reach easier terrain.
Image by J. Lipman
Early in the return to rescue base. Image by J. Lipman
The subject was packaged in the wheeled litter and transported to rescue base, and he elected to seek medical care via personal vehicle with assistance from his hiking companion (son). The call terminated at 0126 hours.
The carryout went late into the night. Image by J. Lipman
IC: Pelichowski Ops Leader: Beck Responders: Knight, Evans, Bush, Patterson, Buchanan, Torrence, Cucura, Lipman, Hodges, Hartstrom, Trott
At 1426 hours the Team received a mutual aid request from Madera County for assistance to a 50-year-old female suffering from symptoms of heat exhaustion and dehydration. The team was called to respond, but prior to the arrival of the team at the Rainbow Falls trailhead the subject was able to return to the trailhead on her own. The call was canceled at 1537 hours.
IC: Pelichowski Responders: Quiring, Cowan, Lipman, Torrence, Brownlee, Anderson, Senior, Bush, Evans
At 2246 hours the Team was called to assist a 63-year-old backpacker who was suffering from symptoms of altitude sickness at a camp near Gem Lake. The hiker’s partner activated the SOS feature on her Inreach device and communicated that the subject had been vomiting, unable to eat or drink, and was dehydrated.
A field team of 5 members left the Rush Creek trailhead just after midnight and reached the subject at 0145 hours. The subject was assessed, packaged in the wheeled litter, and transported to the Rush Creek trailhead. The field team and the subject reached the trailhead at approximately 0430 hours and transferred care of the subject to Mono County medics. The call was terminated at 0508 hours.
IC: Belcher Ops Leader: Beck Responders: Kelly, Trott, Evans, Torrence, Childers, Brownlee
At 1524 hours the Team was called to assist a 68-year-old backpacker who had become separated from his hiking partner in the Marie Lakes area. The subject had mobile phone service, and called 911 for assistance. The subject’s location was determined by his mobile phone, and he agreed to remain where he was pending the Team’s arrival.
A field team of 2 members hiked up the Rush Creek Trail with the anticipation of being picked up by a Seahawk from Lemoore Naval Air Station at Gem Lake. The helicopter crew elected to proceed directly to the subject location, extract him, and fly him back to Lemoore. The field team returned to base, and the call was terminated at 2203 hours.
IC: Belcher Ops Leader: Thompson Responders: Kelly, Evans
At 1247 hours the Team was called to assist a 32-year-old female hiker with a reported fractured or dislocated ankle in the Little Lakes Valley in Inyo County. The Team staged at the Mosquito Flat trailhead, and two field teams hiked in to locate the subject.
The subject was approximately 1.5 miles up the Little Lakes Valley trail, and she was quickly located, assessed, packaged, and transported to the staging area. She was with family, and opted to transport to medical care via personal vehicle. The operation terminated at 1552 hours.
IC: Belcher Ops Leader: Beck Responders: Haugh, Cucura, Endo, Kaufman, Evans, Lipman, Creager, Blackman
At 1727 hours the Team was called to assist with a 43-year-old female hiker in the Rainbow Falls area who was reporting an elevated heart rate. The Team responded to the Rainbow Falls trailhead near the Reds Meadow pack station and established a rescue base.
Two field teams hiked to the subject’s location, assessed her condition, and transported her to rescue base via wheeled litter. She was further transported to Minaret Vista where she was assessed and treated by a Mono County medic unit. The call was terminated at 2014 hours.
IC: Belcher Ops Leader: Bush Responders: Beechan, Haugh, Burnett, Knight, Cucura, Endo, Evans, Childers, Lipman, Mayernick, Beck, Torrence, Carlson
At 1639 hours the Team was called for a mutal aid to Madera County to assist a 39-year-old pregnant female who reported that she was unable to proceed under her own power. As resuce base was being established at the Rainbow Falls trailhead near the Reds Meadow Pack Station, it was reported that the subject had been able to walk out, and no assistance was needed. The call was terminated at 1819 hours.
IC: Belcher Ops Leader: Bush Responders: Torrence, Knight, Burnett, Senior, Firer, Anderson, Lipman
At 2306 hours, the Team was called to assist two hikers in the vicinity of Deer Lakes who were unprepared for the length of their hike or for the ensuing darkness. Rescue Base was establshed at the Duck Lake trailhead, and 2 field teams went out.
The field teams located the hikers at 0214 hours, provided them with warm clothing and other items, and they came out under their own power, though moving very slowly as they were exhausted from their dayhike. The field teams and the subject arrived at Rescue Base approximately 4 hours later, and the operation was terminated at 0630 hours.
IC: Gillespie Ops Leader: Bush Responders: Torrence, Quiring, Knecht, Kaufman, Mayernick, Trott, Anderson, Kelly
At 0806 hours the Team was called to assist in locating a 66-year-old overdue hiker last seen in Fresno County near Lake Thomas A. Edison. The subject was hiking with 2 friends, and they agreed to split up and meet at a campsite at Silver Pass Lake. The subject’s hiking companions arrived at the campsite and waited halfway through the next day before moving on. The plan was to come out at the Duck Lake Pass trailhead, and the companions did, and reported their friend missing.
Fresno County was the lead agency as the point last seen is in Fresno County. Fresno County had more than 30 searchers, and at least one helicopter involved in the search. After 2 days they had not been able to locate the subject, and called the Mono County Sheriff’s Office to ask for assistance searching the area between the trailhead and the Mono/Fresno county line.
The Team staged at the end of Coldwater Campground at the Duck Lake Pass trailhead. 4 field teams went in to search the areas on the Mono side of the county line and the many branch trails along the way. The Mono County search area was cleared, and one field team was left at the Duck Lake outlet as a trail block and to interview hikers coming from the direction of the subject’s last known location. Another trail block was established at Upper Crater Meadow along the JMT.
Reports began filtering in to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office of sightings of the subject, and then contacts made with the subject by other hikers in the Silver Pass area. The trail block field teams returned to base, and the operation was terminated at 1646 hours.
IC: Pelichowski Ops Leader: Beck Responders: Buchanan, Bush, Childers, Cucura, Endo, Kaufman, Kelly, Knecht, Lipman, Mayernick, Patterson, Pavlovsky, Quiring, and Torrence
At 1322 hours the Team was called to assist a 19-year-old male hiker on the Barney Lake Trail near the intersection with the use trail accessing the Incredible Hulk. The hiker was complaining of nausea, frequent vomiting, and general malaise.
The Team staged at the Mono Village Resort/Campground near the Barney Lake trailhead. A field team was sent out to locate the subject, and he and his companions were found approximately 1.6 miles from the trailhead. The subject was unable to intake either solids or liquids, and was transported via wheeled litter back to the trailhead. The subject refused medical treatment or transport, and was left with his companions to seek treatment. The operation was terminated at 1602 hours.
IC: Pelichowski Ops Leader: Beck Responders: Buchanan, Cucura, Davison, Evans, Irving-Ruffing, Mayernick, Torrence
At 1212 hours the Team was called to assist a 44-year-old male hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail near Sonora Pass who was pinned down by very strong wind gusts over the Sierra crest.
The Team staged at Sonora Pass, and field teams hiked southbound to attempt to locate the subject. An additional field team was sent to the Leavitt Lake trailhead but there was some delay due to a locked USFS gate, and unmelted snowdrifts across the road. The field team abandoned their vehicle and hiked from the point where the road was impassable.
The field teams hiking southbound from Sonora Pass located the hiker and assisted him back to the Sonora Pass trailhead. The call concluded at 2012 hours.
IC: Pelichowski Ops Leader: Beck Responders: Bush, Childers, Creager, Cucura, Endo, Evans, Hartstrom, Kelly, Lipman, Patterson, Trott, and Wallace.
At 0907 hours the Team was called to assist a male hiker in a party of 5 who had indicated through an Inreach device text message to his wife that there was an injury in their party, and they required assistance. The Team launched, and staged at the Rush Creek Trailhead. CHP H40 was contacted for availability, and indicated that they could be available.
Prior to field teams leaving the staging area, addtional Inreach text messages were received by the subject’s wife, and the subject communicated that no SAR assistance was required. After numerous message exchanges, the Team was requested by the Sheriff’s Office to stand down, and H40 was advised that they could cancel their response. The call terminated at 1035 hours.
IC: Pelichowski Ops Leader: Beck Responders: Childers, Torrence, Wallace, Evans, Bush, Endo, Irving-Ruffing, Roos-Collins, Cucura, Quiring, Lipman, Cowan, Kelly, Creager.
At 1821 hours the Team was called to assist in locating an overdue 73-year-old male hiker in the Lower Rock Creek area. As the Team was mobilizing, notification was received that the subject had returned to his vehicle and was no longer overdue. The operation was terminated at 1856 hours. IC: Pelichowski Ops Leader: Bush Responders: Buchanan, Torrence, Kaufman, Lipman, Evans, Wallace
At 1401 hours the Team received a call for assistance from the Sheriff’s Office for a personal locater beacon (PLB) activation in the Horse Creek drainage below Matterhorn Peak. The Team responded to the Horse Creek trailhead at Mono Village and established rescue base. The owner of the PLB, International Alpine Guides, reported that the group with the PLB was a party of 4.
While the Team was responding, the PLB was activated an additional 4 times. Two field teams were sent to respond with medical gear, hypothermia treatment and prevention supplies, and the wheeled litter. It was extraordinarily windy which precluded any air resource response.
Just above Horsetail Falls. Image by J. Bush
Made it to the (new) snowline… Image by J. Bush
After the field teams departed base, it was reported that the PLB was moving uphill from the initial location, toward Matterhorn Peak. Field team 2 arrived at the location indicated by the original PLB coordinates, they found 2 of the group of 4 in a tent, and these 2 reported there were no injuries that they were aware of, and that the other 2 members of their party had skinned up for a couple of ski runs. The person carrying the PLB discovered it had been activated and sent a cancel message. They then returned to camp and field team 2 was able to confirm that it was an inadvertent activation.
Stowing gear after return to base. Image by B. Beck
Both field teams returned to base, and the call was terminated at 1927 hours.
IC: Belcher/Pelichowski Ops Leader: Beck Responders: Bush, Creager, Endo, Torrence, Dunne, Hartstrom, Quiring
At 1338 hours the Team was called to assist with the rescue of a 47-year-old male snowmobiler with a possible broken pelvis near Koenig Lake in the Sonora Pass area. The Team staged at Pickel Meadows adjacent to the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center (MCMWTC). CHP H24 was contacted as a possible air resource, and they accepted the mission. MCMWTC personnel also responded with a snowcat modified for medical response, and were proceeding up (closed) Highway 108 toward the incident location.
CHP H24 landed at Pickel Meadows and boarded one field team member, transported him to the injured party, and offloaded him near the subject. The subject was assessed, treated, packaged and prepared for transport via H24.
H24 hoisted the subject into the aircraft, and delivered him to a Care Flight aircraft waiting at Pickel Meadows. H24 returned to the incident scene and retrieved the field team member, and returned him to rescue base at Pickel Meadows. The operation terminated at 1752 hours.
IC: Belcher Ops Leader: None Responders: Hartstrom, Kaufman, Quiring
The Team participated in an evidence search in the Navy Beach area of Mono Lake as requested by the Mono County Sheriff’s Office. The searh lasted approximately 4 hours.
IC: Sheriff’s Office Ops Leader: none Responders: Blackman, Buchanan, Endo, Evans, Haugh
At 1904 hours the Team was called to assist in locating a pair of hikers in the Inyo Craters area. Search base was established at the turnoff from the Scenic Loop to the Inyo Craters. A field team of 4 members began searching the area between the parking area and the Inyo Craters, and located the subjects in about 10 minutes.
The subjects were transported back to base, and Sheriff’s Office personnel delivered them to their vehicle parked a short distance away. The operation terminated at 2044 hours.
IC: Gillespie Ops Leader: Bush Responders: Knight, Kaufman, Evans, Anderson, Patterson, Buchanan, Senior, Quiring.
At approximately 1515 hours the Team was called to assist a 29-year-old female hiker with reported symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) near the lower end of the East Couloir on Matterhorn Peak. The Team responded to the Bridgeport airport, and air resources were requested. Lemoore Naval Air Station did not have immediate crew and equipment availabilty, but CHP H40 was contacted, and they were able to accept the mission.
CHP H40 arriving at Bridgeport International Airport. Image by J. Bush
As the field teams assembled gear in preparation of hike up to the 11,100 foot level on Matterhorn Peak, H40 arrived at the airport. Extraneous gear was offloaded due to the high elevation, and the crew of 3 was able to hoist the subject into the aircraft and deliver her to Bridgeport airport. Her hiking partner remained to gather gear from their camp, and planned to finish his descent the following day.
Pre-Rescue briefing. Image by J. Bush
The operation terminated at 1837 hours.
IC: Way Ops Leader: Bush Responders: Anderson, Beck, Creager, Cucura, Hartstrom, Torrence.