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Solo male on day hike, did not return
On Sunday
afternoon, a solo male hiker departed from the
upper Tram Station, for San Jacinto Peak wearing
shorts and a light shirt. Unstable, rainy weather
was in evidence but did not deter the hiker. RMRU
was notified at 9:00am Monday. Poor weather and
high winds prevented an early helicopter search.
Ground teams were hampered by heavy rain that
obliterated all tracks. In addition, high winds
made hope of voice contact virtually impossible.
Mondays search proved empty. Tuesday, a
military helicopter began an aerial search which
also revealed nothing. Apparently, caught in
thick clouds, the hiker had inadvertently
descended down the treacherous north face of the
peak some 600 feet before realizing he was now in
serious trouble. Here he wisely chose to remain
rather than risk a fall. On Wednesday morning a
second search of the north face by air, spotted
the climber. He was lifted off of the rock by the
chopper, and despite the length of his ordeal,
suffered no serious physical effects. RMRU
invested more than 500 man-hours into the search.
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