Search for lost hunter
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October 15, 1983 |
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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.