Search for lost hunter
By Bruce
Gahagan
Something told
me early in the evening that the stroke of good
luck I had just received would end up being a
mere hallucination. The luck I am talking about
was seats to the Rams game; third row seats on
the forty-five yard line. Then as luck usually
has it the phone rang and my greatest fears were
vocalized by Kevin Walker informing me we had a
call out for a lost hunter.
All members
responded to the Piņon Flats Fire Station and
were told that the search would be for a deer
hunter that had become separated from his friends
during the days hunt in the Toro Peak area.
Members waited at the fire station while one of
the hunters' partners returned to show RMRU
members the exact area of their last know
contact. When the primary facts were obtained,
members loaded up in four-wheel drive vehicles to
get to the search area. Upon arriving at the
scene teams were sent out in coordinated
directions to find any signs.
The field
teams consisted of Joe Erickson, Cameron Robbins,
Bruce Gahagan, Glenn Henderson, Jim Fairchild ...
? and John Dew acting as radio relay. Since dawn
was growing near and the only sign found was
possible tracks heading down a canyon by Joe and
Cam, all teams bedded down for a brief rest
before dawn.
At the hint of first light members
were up and searching. About an hour into the
search Bruce and Glenn heard a sound after
another team yelled trying to obtain voice
contact with the subject. After climbing to a
high point on a ridge, Bruce and Glenn spotted
the subject at the base of the canyon against
some rocks. We reported the position and started
down. The subject was at the base of the canyon
which Joe and Cam were tracking down. Both teams
heading down the canyons ran into the same
problems bushwhacking through heavy manzanita.
First to the subject was Cam; who yelled across
to us that the subject was exhausted, but all
right. This was radioed to the base and the field
teams converged with Cam and the subject.
It was
determined that because of the subjects condition
and the difficulty of the bushwhack back up the
mountain that a helicopter be requested. Due to
the diplomacy of Walt Walker and the base team
and the sheriffs department understanding of the
subjects status and field condition, a helicopter
was authorized from Landells Aviation and all
were flown out safely.
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