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Two separated on day hike
By Kevin
Walker
As most Monday
missions start, this one began with a call from
the Sheriff at around noon. Respond to Camp
Maranatha, Idyllwild for a search. Walt Walker,
Rob Gardner, and I arrived within minutes of one
another. Not long after Mike Donovan from
Landells Aviation arrived with 40MC. The three of
us gathered gear and climbed in. As we departed I
saw more members arriving, and fellow member
Gordon Lee started the sign-in process. As we
flew towards the saddle Walt clued us in. We were
going to look for Robert Denny, age 41, from
Manhattan Beach. He and a friend Ernie Johnson
had become separated the day before on a day hike
from their established camp near Skunk Cabbage
Meadow. Ernie hiked out early in the morning and
reported Bob missing to the rangers, who in turn
called the S.O. Upon reaching the saddle we
started sweeping across from one end to the other
of the Tahquitz drainage. The plan was to do this
down to Caramba. If nothing was found, Rob and I
would be let off to search for tracks and Walt
and Mike would go back and get more members to be
put out at various key locations. We were between
Laws and Caramba when Walt spotted a person on
top of some rocks waving a blue object. Upon a
quick close check, the description matched and we
had found our man. Now getting him would be a
little harder. Because of the forest being so
dense in that particular area Mike had to fly to
the Tahquitz ridge about a half-mile away. There
he put Rob and I out on a rock formation. It was
a great day out and the hike down to Bob went far
too fast. We soon linked up with a very relieved
Robert Denny. After giving Bob a snack and some
water we started back for the helispot. Along the
way he told us that after he became separated he
walked for a period of time and then realizing
that he was lost, stopped and waited. We
commented him for doing that, as most of the
people we go out to look for, don't use that kind
of common sense. Anyway a short time later we
were back in position. Mike came back in, we
loaded Bob on board, they flew out. Minutes later
Mike was back for Rob and I, back to Idyllwild
and the end of another successful and rewarding
mission.
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