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Three women
with horses lost the trail
October 21, 2000
Pacific Crest Trail UTM 11S 0544576, 3719909
2000-024
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By Gene Baune
At 0530 on
October 21, 2000 the page went out. Desert SAR
was requesting assistance on a mission to assist
three horsewomen who had lost the trail and were
unable to get back to civilization. On October
20, 2000 Jeanne Rodriquez-Dettleff, 40, of
Newport Beach, Annete Dunning, 34, and Sylvia
Kuttel, 39, both of Huntington Beach, had
attempted to ride the Pacific Crest Trail to Live
Oak Trail and return on Palm Canyon Trail.
Although experienced and well equipped, they lost
the Live Oak Trail and bushwhacked to a location
where they were unable to travel any further
because of their horses. One of the horses was
injured when a sharp object jabbed into its
chest. They then contacted the USFS and tried for
several hours to regain the trail without
success. When that failed they decided to call
911 and Sgt. Alcorn of the Riverside County
Sheriff's Office arranged for CHP to deliver
blankets, food, and water by helicopter. The riders,
unwilling to abandon their horses, then spent a
long cold night out. Meanwhile, six members of
the Desert SAR team were making their way up the
PCT to the stranded horsewomen but eventually ran
into the same difficult terrain that stumped the
riders. DSSAR requested assistance of someone who
knew the area and could determine the best route
out for the stranded riders. After assessing the
situation it was determined to hike the subjects
back up toward the ridgeline to get them out of
the treacherous ravines and then head south
toward a road that Jim remembered from his days
with the Boy Scouts. Jim and Gene were flown in
with extra water and feed for the horses, and the
DSSAR Team was extracted. After a hike/ride of
several miles horses, riders and rescuers arrived
at the road for several more miles of walking
until they reached a location where the trucks
and trailers could pick up the horses.
Members present were Darryl Bell,
Jim Fairchild, Gene Baune, Michael George, Travis
Henderson, and Phil Thompson.
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