Skyline Trail at 4300 ft Search fro 3 Hikers - Early Morning

[Cy Kaicener]

Palm Springs Mounted Police Search & Rescue
1 hr ·
Palm Springs Mounted Police Search and Rescue are currently on an active search on the skyline trail for three hikers between Box 1 and Box 2 at approximately 4300 Feet.

[Cy Kaicener]

Palm Springs Mounted Police Search & Rescue
2 hrs ·
At approximately 9:30PM on September 21st, the Palm Springs Mounted Police Search and Rescue responded to a 911 dispatch of three hikers that were on the Skyline trail at approximately 4,600 feet and having a difficult time returning to the trailhead. PSMP-SAR had members hike up Skyline to meet the hikers. Once members of PSMP-SAR were on scene with the hikers at Box #1 (2,500 feet) they provided medical aid to the hikers who were suffering from fatigue as the hikers had hiked to the tram only to realize that they had to turn around because they had been given false information that the tram was open when it was actually closed for maintenance. PSMP-SAR members hiked the fatigued hikers off the mountain. At approximately 5:30 AM all personnel and hikers were off the mountain.

[guest]

Thanks for the post Cy,
Don't want to 2nd guess anyone, but if they made the tram, and called for help 1/2 way back down at 9:30pm, makes one wonder, what time they started, (seeing as how it's still summer here in the desert)? The 4,500 ft. area is one of the few where someone could go north or south, quite a ways off the trail. There's also a bunch of short cuts & false trails, (including the one that stays on top of the ridge, after the Orange Hill, (where Mars gutter & spanky short-cut are), that make it confusing, especially in the dark. Above that and the Ribbonwood is thick, (on never-ending slope, before Flat rock). Below that, and lots more secondary trails.

Let's see, stay home with the family and watch a movie, or, get called on a SAR's mission to hike 1/2 way up Skyline in 80-90f weather with 40+ lbs.?

Those folks must have been whooped by the time they hit PS.
ss

[Perry]

In that situation, I would have called multiple friends and offered to pay $ to pick me up in Humber Park, a little over 2,000 feet of descent from Hidden Divide. 8,000 feet of descent is not easy just because it's downhill, and lower Skyline + Museum or Lykken is rocky.

[Ed]

Perry's alternative makes sense to me. Though I suspect there are Skyline hikers who are not familiar with the area and don't carry a map. Like the ones who don't know the tram station is closed in September for maintenance. By the way, is there an outside faucet in Long Valley, when the ranger station and tram station are closed?

[Florian]

If they got all the way to 2500' you'd think they could have just hunkered down and waited for daylight. Seems they called 911 from 4600' at 2130 hrs. They could have overnighted there too without much problem. If only someone would put up signs at the trailhead saying the tram was closed. Bah.

[Florian]

is there an outside faucet in Long Valley, when the ranger station and tram station are closed?

The faucet and drinking fountain at the LV ranger station next to the restroom wasn't working the one time i checked it this summer. I don't know if was just a temporary shut off or if it's no longer working. There is also a hose on the back porch of the station but i didn't check it this summer.

[guest]

Dang Florian, if the yahoo would not have removed your sign, this whole thing may not have happened.
I'm with Perry, hike out via Willow Creek to avoid the Wellman's climb, and pay someone. It's maybe a mile or 2 further than going down Skyline, but level or downhill a couple thousand feet.
I still would like to know what time they started up Skyline. If it was as late as 6am, (not good in 100 degree wx), and it took them 8 hrs. to the tram, and took another hour to let it sink in, that they weren't getting any ride down, that puts it around 3pm. Must have been a long, arduous trek down, as it's plenty steep in lots of areas, then darkness finally sets in, and the trail or trails, seem to blur. Hopefully someone gave them water, if they were able to find folks around tram.
ss

[kwilliams508]

New Signs have been posted about the Tram being closed. I think Search and Rescue posted them.

[Jaystiles]

We hiked up on Monday. The faucet at the long Valley station worked great. We did purify the agua...it has a bit of a hue out of the tap.