Hikers rescued at Tram 8/2/14

[halhiker]

http://patch.com/california/palm-desert ... 96Lcbm9LCQ

[HH8]

http://patch.com/california/palm-desert/lost-hikers-airlifted-safety-sheriffs-department#.U96Lcbm9LCQ

hm. A GPS was too expensive, so they called a helicopter taxi?

[skunkboy]

Wow! A cheap compass would have told them they were going west instead of east.

[zippetydude]

Well, in their defense it can be confusing coming back down. On several occasions I have personally slowed and looked around to make sure I was going the right way and on one occasion I was actually heading towards LRV just like they did. Since I'm aware that the area can be confusing and know the trail's general direction I caught the error quickly, but I can understand how they might have gone the wrong way.

What confuses me is the need for a helicopter. Once they were located, it's just a walk back to the tram or they could have gone on down to the Marion trailhead - either way it's mostly downhill. The trail is easy to follow and a night time walk is still just a walk. At least for me personally I would rather just find my way on out than make SAR go to the trouble of giving me an airlift.

If a person is trapped on a cliff or has some other dangerous obstacle like a flash flood (summer) or an uncrossable ice field (winter) then by all means, get the helicopter in the air. But a simple walk back to the tram? Seems like a lot of trouble for SAR. They do so much good work, why tax their time and budget even further?

Anyway, glad they're safe.

z

[bluerail]

yea, i got caught in that weather on sat and thought about calling for an airlift out of there. It was horrible, the trails were flowing streams often over ankle deep, I was soaking wet and freezing cold. Lightning and thunder all around, fog, hail, i couldnt see anything. hell, i dont know i i made it back.

[whitebark]

One time I camped in LRV, two bedraggled, completely lost hikers came up from the slope below and asked me how to get back to Humber Park. Their first words to me were something like "Help us! " Turns out they had done the same stupid mistake after climbing San Jacinto. Sounds like improved signs at the trail junction near the top of the peak are badly needed. Cheaper than repeated helicopter rescues.

[cynthia23]

Yes, that's an excellent point Whitebark. I too got turned around there once, although luckily I quickly realized my mistake. As you say, why not simply improve the signage? It would only cost a few hundred dollars and would save thousands of dollars, and perhaps lives.

[tekewin]

I lost the trail coming down my first time to San Jacinto peak, but there was 6 inches of snow on the ground and most of the trail was covered below Jean. However, I had my GPS and cut about a mile off by going cross country to intersect the trail again before Round Valley. They really should have had at least a compass. It's a big mountain.

[towbradley]

Last summer about this same time I hiked my first time up to sj peak from deer springs, and on the way down I started hitching down, I think, was Marion trail....could be wrong with that, but anyway I caught myself within twenty steps because I had my map...and I had previously marked that point in myhead to go left on the way down! Too big a hurry and loss of focus for just a moment can really lead ya down the wrong trail. My very first time up on devils slide to the firewatch tower I went with some friends who, after eating lunch at the tower, started back down and my buddies made the first left and dropped us five miles into an unfamiliar parking lot......lol....I wanted to do the walk of shameback to the car via streets, but my friends wife came up from Murrieta and took us back to humber park. The crazy thing was I kept telling the guys we were on the wrong trail cause the map didn't look right.....dummy me kept following the goats down down down till it was too late. Live and learned that mistake.......aaaaalways consult the map and use the markers . When I decide to to the c2c, I'll definitely be tailing someone who's in the know on that one.