Ranger injured during Skyline rescue 1/27/22

General Palm Springs area.

Ranger injured during Skyline rescue 1/27/22

Postby halhiker » Thu Jan 27, 2022 11:35 pm

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Re: Ranger injured during Skyline rescue 1/27/22

Postby Ed » Fri Jan 28, 2022 8:25 am

I assume the rangers were hiking down from the upper tram station, not 'up the trail'. If the hikers were there at 6:30pm, must have been some combination of starting late, being very slow, or route-finding problems.
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Re: Ranger injured during Skyline rescue 1/27/22

Postby guest » Fri Jan 28, 2022 8:47 am

Hey Hal, good hearing from you, bummer about ranger, sounds like injury wasn't too bad, hopefully. Looks like this rescue monopolized about 1/2 the local resources, which isn't a good thing, for sure.
One has to wonder if this might lead to stricter "rules / laws" re. the trail, (especially upper sections, inside state park jurisdiction), as has been talked about here.
Prime conditions for a fall, I'd imagine, with a couple layers of snow, followed by plenty of wind and cool temps, leading to ice, especially up high where exposure is great, and at times fatal.

I remember a few yrs. back when state park put up a closed sign where Skyline ends into Long Valley, but, that only keeps, (most), from down-climbing.
Not sure if the Agua Caliente's were able to land-swap for the beginning section above Museum, but whoever's jurisdiction it is, could at least posts warning signs, I guess, (if not attempt to restrict use during certain months).
But, that would mean closing a popular trail, (Museum tr.), during the busiest months, unless they think they could regulate it after / above picnic benches.
It seems the more ego-driven some become regarding difficult, physical challenges in fairly extreme areas, the greater chance of problems. And, as discussed on this board numerous times, now with cell phones, many have an increased sense of confidence, (assuming a phone evens works). scott
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Re: Ranger injured during Skyline rescue 1/27/22

Postby Ed » Fri Jan 28, 2022 10:28 am

One thing that puzzles me is that you have to be a pretty strong hiker to make it to the snowline, where the problems begin. You would think that people who can do the elevation gain also have the sense and experience to know when to start, what equipment to carry, etc. But clearly some don't. I remember watching a young man doing the Traverse once, when it was covered with hard, slippery snow. No trekking poles or microspikes, he was using a branch he picked up as a stabilizer.
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Re: Ranger injured during Skyline rescue 1/27/22

Postby Ellen » Fri Jan 28, 2022 1:55 pm

Howdy Hal :)

Ugh :( Thanks for the information. I'm keeping the State Park ranger in my thoughts and prayers. Thank goodness for RMRU and Riverside County Sheriffs.

Hopefully we'll get more details other than "two hikers in their sixties."

Please be careful friends.

From the heart,
Ellen
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Re: Ranger injured during Skyline rescue 1/27/22

Postby guest » Fri Jan 28, 2022 2:31 pm

Some of us who did it regularly would stop and caution people we meet lower on the trail for many yrs. about snow & ice in steep areas in the trees. A few took it to heart, but most seem to think they'll deal with it when they get there, (making it way more likely they would not want to turn around), or, maybe they thought, If there's other people going up, (including experienced ones), that they would be ok, too.

One thing about that side of the mountain is, there's really no easy, (less steep, less technical, less exposed), way to Long Valley, and some are downright treacherous, (wasn't there 4 Marines stuck under town 4 or 5, many yrs ago, maybe that was the rescue that delayed Ellens at Emerg Shelter on summit??). So no way to avoid steep, icy, exposed areas, which require strength and conditioning, along with experience, to stay safe, (especially if something were to happen).
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Re: Ranger injured during Skyline rescue 1/27/22

Postby Ellen » Sun Jan 30, 2022 10:30 am

RMRU team member Eric Holden posted another on this rescue:

https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/20 ... F_jyhmyOGU
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Re: Ranger injured during Skyline rescue 1/27/22

Postby Ellen » Thu Feb 03, 2022 2:40 pm

guest wrote:Some of us who did it regularly would stop and caution people we meet lower on the trail for many yrs. about snow & ice in steep areas in the trees. A few took it to heart, but most seem to think they'll deal with it when they get there, (making it way more likely they would not want to turn around), or, maybe they thought, If there's other people going up, (including experienced ones), that they would be ok, too.

One thing about that side of the mountain is, there's really no easy, (less steep, less technical, less exposed), way to Long Valley, and some are downright treacherous, (wasn't there 4 Marines stuck under town 4 or 5, many yrs ago, maybe that was the rescue that delayed Ellens at Emerg Shelter on summit??). So no way to avoid steep, icy, exposed areas, which require strength and conditioning, along with experience, to stay safe, (especially if something were to happen).


Howdy SS :)

You have an excellent memory. RMRU team captain Jim Bakos said that RMRU was diverted from my search on Superbowl Sunday to rescue two Marines who tried to hike Skyline Saturday but wound up under one of the tram towers :shock: There had been rescues of other Marines off Skyline several weeks earlier. Jim wryly noted that RMRU should be compensated by the government for returning their Marines :lol:

Miles of smiles,
Ellen
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