Multiple Rescues on Skyline

[sdpacatc]

It sounds like most of these people are just unprepared, with the amount of information on the web these days, that's just not an excuse. I run into hikers all the time down here in San Diego on far easier hikes, but still hikes that you should not attempt for the first time at the hottest time of the day with hardly any water, I can't count how many times I see people doing just that. In part I think its a lack of responsibility, someone will be out there to pull their butts out of the fire if they get into trouble. That's supposed to be part of the "Outdoor Experience", self reliance, skill building, building up your self esteem by overcoming challenges. Maybe its just my former Army training talking to me

[bluerail]

My calculated guess at the number of takers to number of people that leave water? Well over 100 to 1

I gott the fleece

[neverwashasbeen]

Cynthia, I counted 27 hikers above the Lykken Trail, not counting the State Park personnel. The Park Volunteer I spoke with said that 12 Skyline parties had checked in at the Long Valley Ranger Station and reported that some folks appeared to be in trouble.

I'm sure glad you got the fleece Bluerail, thanks for all you've done!

[cynthia23]

Thanks for the info, NeverWas. I'm horrified, though--27! I'd love to interview each and every one of them and find out their thought process and whether they understood what they were getting in to. I talked today to someone who was up at the tram and spoke to a group who came up Skyline on Saturday. They told him they were seriously considering calling for a rescue but somehow made it up by themselves. There could have been even more calls to SAR.

I think I agree with Zip that at least some probably were in the mindset of "we've planned it for May 3rd and by golly we're doing it that day because we already bought the plane tickets/made the hotel reservations/bought the beer." Others simply may not have had a clue, and as I've said before, a surprising number of people don't even think to check the weather forecast. Of those who do, some don't understand the significance of the numbers and mistakenly believe they'll climb out of the heat. Very, very faulty reasoning and I bet nearly all those 27 people regret their decision.

[bluerail]

I do it for you Cameron

Wanna call for a rescue at flat rock and have iced beer and barbecue set up for sar when they show up?

[zippetydude]

It might be fun to dress up in official looking clothing (borrow a boy scout uniform or something) and stand at the opening of the wall at the museum, registering names and inquiring as to experience and preparation. For those who are obviously ill-equipped or not physically prepared for the challenge, ask them to fill out a brief list of the Next-of-Kin to be notified. It would be hilarious! Even give them a time that we'll be making the call. "Let's see, the last 10 parties that started with your level of preparation were deceased shortly after one o'clock. Is it alright if we contact your family at about 1:30 so that they can begin to make arrangements?" Imagine the looks on their faces!

z

[Perry]

If somebody sees water bottles inside box #1, they may assume that there's more water along the way. I think a note on box #1 that says box #2 is probably empty this time of year and there's no official box #3, is a good warning.

I almost died the first time I did Skyline. It was early July, and I had recently done well in the Mud Run at Camp Pendleton and was feeling like I could do anything. Years later, the tramcar operator still remembered how bad I looked that day.

[DancesWithTheMountains]

HI everyone,
I was on skyline Sat and started at 5:00am and I knew right from the start that it was not going to be an easy one. IT was already 72 degrees and I could feel the heat getting stronger and stronger the higher I got in elevation. I didn't listen to my own advise which for me is to never do skyline when the early morning temps are above 65. Needless to say, by the time I got to 5,000 ft I had the choice to turn around and fry on the way down or just take my time and go up slowly and take as many shade breaks as I could. I ran into a lot of first timers that were very taken by the heat. They all did well, but, so many out of the area hikers forget that just because you are going up in elevation, doesn't mean that its cooler. The opposite is what happens. Those rocks heat up and you never get to cool down. Even tree line was hot. I didn't feel any relief till I hit the first traverse. That felt so good that I just hiked very slowly just to enjoy it.
That's when I saw the rangers coming down and knew there was a problem. I just didn't realize there were that many hikers in trouble. I found that if I just kept my neck wet with paper towels, I stayed a little cooler. Bottom line is this: if you aren't use to the desert heat, you need to really rethink hiking skyline. I agree with you Cynthia, its time to rant and rave. Unless you are really fast like Scott, Steve, Fernando or Diane you need to stay off skyline. For those of you who are first timers and thinking about skyline, let me just add my two cents: always and I mean always, add 10 degrees more to our local weather forecast when climbing this mountain. The heat that radiates on the rocks and open unprotected areas of this trail can really kill you. This was #294 for me and it wastough and long but of course I felt great once I finished (lol)
Happy Trails to all
Doreen

[zippetydude]

Hi Doreen, the Skyline Queen! First, congrats on #294!

I like your idea of adding 10 degrees to the temps, as I have noticed that sometimes on the way up to the picnic tables I think, "Hey, it's getting hotter, not cooler!" Because the trail lies mostly in areas that are protected from the wind, that gentle cooling breeze that makes Palm Springs pleasant can disappear, making Skyline a sauna of sorts.

In fact, Ellen and I were just talking about the fact that it can become impossible to take in enough water to replace what you're losing because the body can only absorb fluids so fast...making dehydration inevitable even for smart hikers if the temps are too high.

While I might do a couple more Skylines in the next few weeks, I'm also one to avoid the extreme heat, so I'll see you over on San G this summer!

z

[bluerail]

congratulations Doreen, we need to make a party of #300!