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Man separated from group, then got lost
By Jack Schnurr
What a relief!
It was a gorgeous Monday morning, about 10:30 AM,
and I had just forced myself to sit down in front
of a desk of mid-term essay exams that needed to
be read and graded. The phone rang; Al Andrews
asked if it was possible to roll on a man missing
in the San Jacinto high country. I'm sure that my
"YES" was the most emphatic and
enthusiastic answer he received all morning!
It was a
beautiful day to be driving. Passing through
Banning, I didn't even bother to stop at the
Sheriff's station and ask if the mission was
still on; if it was cancelled, I didn't want to
know about it. Winding up the mountain road
towards Idyllwild, I admired San Jac, still iced
with a generous coating of snow; yet, at the
altitude where I was driving, the country-side
was spring green and speckled with wild flowers;
I gloated at my good fortune in having an excuse
to go hiking on a "work day."
Soon I arrived
at the base camp which was set up at Camp
Maranatha in the ball park; Don Landells'
helicopter was on order and the team was getting
briefed to go into the field. The search centered
on a 22-year-old male, Joe Coupe, missing from
his group since Sunday afternoon. The group had
climbed a hill above their camp in Skunk Cabbage
Meadows; Joe decided to return to camp alone.
When the group returned to the campsite, they
found that Joe had not made it back to camp. The
group searched the area and found tracks
descending towards Law's Camp and Caramba Camp.
They decided they needed help, returned to camp,
packed up ALL of the gear, including Joe's and
hiked out to Idyllwild. Joe, in shorts and a
tee-shirt, was now definitely a victim on the
mountain! Joe was described as a beginning
backpacker, who was a smoker and not in the best
of condition.
Walt Walker
decided the first field team should check the
bottleneck at Caramba for tracks and that the
second team should go to the Tower helispot in
Tahquitz Canyon, below Caramba Camp, in case Joe
had made it past Caramba. Craig Beasley was
dropped off on the Palisades to be the radio
relay between the field teams and base.
Additional field teams were dispersed in the area
around Skunk Cabbage to check and see if Joe
might still be in that area.
Pete Carlson
and I drew the assignment to the Tower helispot
in Tahquitz Canyon. We sorted gear for a possible
overnight stay as the helicopter lifted Walt and
Kevin Walker up the mountain to Caramba Camp.
Soon, Pete and I were loaded and the bird headed
towards Tahquitz Canyon. If the drive up the
mountain was grand, then the "chopper
ride" to the canyon was magnificent! Riding
just above the trees, searching for Joe on the
way in, the mountain top lay in spring-time
renewal. The shaded areas under the trees were
still burdened with snow, but the sunny meadows
and the trees along the stream banks were
pregnant with budding greenery. The sunlight
danced and glittered on the streambed that ran
full with icy cold snow melt. The air, though
cool and crisp, smelled fresh and felt
invigorating.
The chopper
dropped into the canyon from the high country and
soon we were standing on the Tower helispot. This
helispot is literally a tower of rock and dirt
that rises several hundred feet out of the canyon
bottom; the tower is situated on the end of a
long ridge and at the confluence of Tahquitz
Canyon and several other drainages from the east
side of San Jacinto Wilderness area. From here, a
collecting basin, we could check the floor of the
canyon and see if Joe had hiked this far. We
called the Caramba team for a radio check and was
informed that they had tracks heading downward,
through thick brush, towards our location. We
acknowledged and began our climb downwards
through the brush and over the loose dirt and
rock. Reaching the canyon floor, we quickly
decided that Joe had to be traveling high on the
ridge due to water conditions. The high, raging
water, coupled with the cliff like walls of the
canyon, would force Joe to travel out of the
canyon bottom. We radioed out that we thought Joe
was still above us, probably making very slow
time through all of the thick brush on the ridge
lines. Unfortunately, the helicopter was not able
to stay with the search due to other commitments
during the day, so the search would have to stay
on the ground until Don could return about 1630
hours that afternoon. Pete and I climbed back up
on top of the Tower and sat watching the various
skylines above us; what thick brush!
Just about 1630 hours, we heard a
shout and straight across the canyon, atop a
water fall, stood our missing hiker. While I
climbed back into the canyon and over to the
victim, Pete radioed for a bird evacuation. Soon
Don was back, picked Pete up, located a tight
helispot close to the water fall, picked up Joe
and me, and soon we were back in the ball park.
Several more shuttles and the rest of the team
was off of the mountain also.
Joe was tired,
dehydrated and his poor, exposed arms and legs
told the tale of his 4500' descent through the
thick brush. He got some nourishment from Mary's
camper before his hiking companion took him home.
(photo by Jim Fairchild)
I thought
about the memories that I would have of an almost
perfect day (how many times do rescues occur from
10:30 AM to 5:00 PM on a beautiful, sunny Monday
when you should be working?) compared to Joe's
grueling, 24 hour bushwhack on a freezing
mountain. I wonder if he will ever go backpacking
again? If he does, will he get the training to
SAFELY enjoy the country he travels in? I hope
so; this time he was lucky!
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