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Lone Pine Creek picture from SAR helicopter
#53294 05/31/18 10:25 PM
Joined: Sep 2009
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Steve C Offline OP
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Posted on fb by Inyo County Sheriff's Office May 31, 2018.


Quote:
Today CHP - Inland Division Air Operations and Inyo SAR volunteers assisted a hiker who was reported to be between Trail Crest and Trail Camp on the Mt Whitney trail.

The team located the subject; he was hungry, cold, and had sustained minor abrasions from a tumble down a snowfield after another hiker glissaded into him and then left the scene. Prior to that, he had been hiking with two companions who left him behind as well. Two kind hikers that came across him stayed with him and kept him warm overnight.

The team provided him with some food, and after warming up he was able to hike out on his own.

Hiking season has officially kicked off- please do not separate from your hiking/climbing partners. Ever.


The picture shows Lone Pine Lake, lower left. Mirror Lake is out of sight, but at the end of the forested area, upper right. The 99 switchbacks are in the snow field in the far upper right. The same snow field is the chute where the hiker was injured.

click on the pic

Re: Lone Pine Creek picture from SAR helicopter
Steve C #53299 06/02/18 09:05 AM
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,158
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Posts: 1,158
Nice picture. This story has all the elements of a common theme underlying so many many rescues. Several lessons here, to name a few:

1. Its the usual start to a disaster - a group decided to separate leaving their buddy behind to fend for himself and didn't stay in communication.

2. Someone was above their skill level, in this case glissading down the steep slope. The idiot was clearly out of control and crashed into the victim. This illustrates how people taking these risks often end up putting others in jeopardy. Not just the innocent victim, but the SAR team as well.

3. The moron who hit the victim then left the scene with him injured. Basically hit and run. That person should be charged with a crime of some sort, IMHO.

Re: Lone Pine Creek picture from SAR helicopter
SierraNevada #53301 06/02/18 09:37 AM
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Lesson: don't trust everyone to help, even in the backcountry. Hmmm. Is Whitney really backcountry or just an extension of Disney Land?

We (Inyo SAR) did a body recovery one late Winter in that same area. An "experienced" climber glissaded, lost his ice axe, and crashed chest first into a rock.

When we found his body there were human tracks in the snow around it, continuing down to Trail Camp, but that person never reported finding the body. It made us think...


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