Climbers on North Face separated
By Joe
Erickson
I have Mondays
off from work because l work Saturdays. Filling
Monday afternoons with something meaningful,
(like a nap), is always challenging. I was
actually pleased when my pager went off at around
1:30 pm for a North Face search.
Marvin Organ
and his buddies were attempting to climb the
North Face of Mt. San Jacinto over the weekend
and became separated on Sunday. Marvin had the
food, a small pack, and 120' long rope.
As I have some
limitations on my ascent into higher altitudes
due to a brain injury (Ed. note: High Altitude
Cerebral Edema - HACE) incurred on another
mission, I expected to sit in base camp all
afternoon. However...
The Isthmus is
where Falls Creek and Snowcreek come very close
together, at 4000'elevation, and is a favorite
campsite for those going up the mountain. It is
low enough altitude for my brain and an excellent
place to look for tracks going up or down the
North Face.
The
"however" is that Jim Fairchild and I
were flown by helicopter a few hours before dark
to the Isthmus with the intention of establishing
a direction of travel for Marvin. We were
standing on the rocks above the campsite where we
were helitacked from the bird, settling into our
assignment by yelling and listening, looking and
tracking, when we thought we might have heard a
voice answer from above. Remember, the streams
either side and below us were noisy, and it was
difficult to hear any sound besides rushing
water. We continued to look, yell, and listen,
when sure enough, there was a person up there.
(Ed. note: Joe did a fine job of spotting Marvin
in tall shrubs 400 yds. away).
He was
escorted back to the Isthmus as Jim photographed.
(After Kevin Walker had flown by and handed Jim a
camera and extra film just like passing a baton
during a relay race). The helicopter returned for
Marvin, Jim, and me after dropping off Kevin and
Rob Gardner at base camp. Mike Donovan piloted
the Jet Ranger III into a fine rock outcropping
smoothly and confidently, while Jim took more
photos . Marvin was carefully loaded in and
buckled up.
Following a
pleasant flight back to base camp we had a meal
generously provided by the Riverside County
Sheriff's Office, and I was home by 8:00 pm.
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