Overdue male hiker
By Rob Gardner
At 5:20 a.m.
the RMRU was called out to assist the Palm
Springs Mounted Police (PSMP) Search and Rescue
team. PSMP initiated a search the previous
evening for an overdue solo hiker who was
trekking on the Skyline Trail. RMRU reported to
PSMP base camp at Highway 111 and Tramway Road in
Palm Springs.
The overdue
hiker was Tommy Craxford, twenty-one years of
age. Reportedly, Tommy had hiking experience in
the state of Florida but was unfamiliar with the
San Jacinto Mountain range.
Tommy had
started his trek at the Desert Museum trail head
to the Lichen Trail on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. His
destination was Long Valley, where the upper Palm
Springs Aerial Tramway Station is located. He
planned to ride the Tramway back down to the
desert. He reportedly estimated he would be home
by 4:00 p.m. (which is not a feasible time
estimate). The Lichen Trail does junction with
the old Skyline Trail, which leads to Long Valley
from the desert floor. This trail has been an
area of almost continual problems over the past
twenty or more years.
Problems on
the Skyline Trail have primarily been related to
people underestimating the time and strength
needed to reach the end of the trail, lack of
water on the trail, and lack of a distinct trail.
At certain times of year snow and ice at the top
portion of the trail complicate the hike
substantially. There have been several tragedies
and fatalities on the upper half of this trail
and numerous search and rescues over the years.
Hikers have become lost and disoriented on this
trail, accidentally descending into Chino Canyon
or Tahquitz Canyon. Both of these canyons, at
higher elevations, are very difficult to hike and
are for the experienced mountaineer only.
The PSMP had
searched the Lichen Trail and lower Skyline Trail
on Tuesday evening. Later they had a Jet Ranger
Helicopter from Landells Aviation released to
search from the air with flood lights. The
helicopter, piloted by Steve DeJesus, flew search
throughout the night, without any sign of Tommy.
Chris Maxwell was Rescue Coordinator (Operations
Leader) for the PSMP.
At about 6:00
a.m. on Wednesday two PSMP searchers were flown
to a point about two-thirds of the way up the
trail and let out of the helicopter to reinitiate
foot search.
The RMRU
personnel began to arrive and prepared to go into
the field and search areas as asked by the PSMP.
The first team, Rob Gardner and Kevin Walker, was
to be flown to Long Valley. They would then
proceed down the Skyline Trail looking for Tommy
and checking for footprints or tracks in the snow
and ice at the top of the trail. The second team
to be led by Cameron Robbins, was going to search
from the "fire ring" area on the trail
down into Tahquitz Canyon. A third team was to be
led by Major Disaster, alias Rick Pohlers.
As Rob and Kevin were being helio'd
to their starting point word came by radio that
the two PSMP searchers, Scott Davis and Mike, at
the central vicinity of the trail had located
Tommy and that he was in satisfactory condition.
The two PSMP Search and Rescue men and Tommy were
flown to base camp by helicopter. The search and
rescue was not dramatic, but everybody was happy
to see that the overdue hiker was safe.
While reports
were being completed by PSMP, RMRU and PSMP
personnel got a chance to swap mission stories
and exchange thoughts on Search and Rescue
techniques. After a short time all of the
volunteer Search and Rescue personnel headed for
home to clean up and go on to their regular
employment. Although, in the final analysis, it
worked out that RMRU wasn't needed we were happy
to respond to the PSMP call for a co-effort and
look forward to more missions side by side,
whenever appropriate.
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