Visalia Backpacker Missing/Found In Sierra National Forest

From the Fresno Bee.

"Searchers are looking for Hanson on foot and in an airplane. Sheriff's deputies described Hanson as a frequent backpacker who was well prepared for the 10-day trip."

Those are damn remote areas, that get very little traffic, particularly this time of year. The wilderness rangers are done for the year, as well.

Map

Hiker from Visalia found in mountains after 4 days missing

Quote:

A backpacker missing for four days in the Sierra National Forest was found Monday afternoon, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office said.

Matthew Hanson, 52, of Visalia was found about 3:30 p.m. when a California Highway Patrol helicopter crew saw shoe tracks in the Cathedral Lake area. As the helicopter followed the tracks, Hanson walked out into the open.

The helicopter landed nearby, and Hanson was able to walk to the crew. He appeared to be in relatively good condition, the Sheriff's Office said.

Hanson was reported missing after he failed to return from a 10-day camping trip that was scheduled to end Thursday. The Sheriff's Office rescue team began looking for Hanson on Friday morning.

Cathedral Lake is at an elevation of about 10,800 feet, the Sheriff's Office said.

Hanson's vehicle was found on the east side of Courtright Reservoir.
Read more here

He was still way back in the backcountry away from his trail head. I'd sure like to hear his story.

Not the outcome I expected. I too would like to hear the story.

So would I. Very little information in the story. He was not overdue as long as Larry Conn is now, and had a longer planned trip: 10 days. Reports on the search for Conn show no letup in intensity of the search effort.

Great news. 1 back. 1 to find.

This sure makes the case for bringing a personal locator beacon.

> This sure makes the case for bringing a personal locator beacon.

That is my opinion, too. It seems like there might be a good opportunity for someone to start up a Spot rental business. The Spot units are not inexpensive, and at $100+ per year for a subscription, it is tough to justify if someone is going out just for a weekend or a week-long trip even.

But if they could rent one -- get the unit by mail, then return it, all within a months time, the money for the Spot could be divided up -- $15 per month would cover the base cost. The shipping and handling, plus the time required to set up the info could raise the cost significantly, though.

However, think of the tens of thousands of dollars expended searching for these two hikers, and compare that to the minor expense of renting a Spot satellite signal unit or a PLB.

The National Parks and Forest Service require bear canisters, it might be worth requiring a signal device for solo hikers in the fall-winter-spring seasons.

...And that reminds me of a conversation I had with the Inyo SAR people. Some company had approached them with an idea of creating a passive transponder unit, which was pretty tiny. If people carried those, an airplane flying over the area could send out a signal on a specific frequency, and the transponder would echo back an Id. I think the units already existed for military pilots, with the idea that if they were downed in enemy territory, they could be located.

I now often carry a PLB (no subscription, but higher up-front cost and harder-to-replace battery) when I hike alone. If someone is already known to be missing, though, I believe a cell phone can be used to help locate them, even if it is out of the service area. Someone familiar with the stuff once explained to me that, as long as there is battery power, a the phone transmits enough to assist in honing in on location. Of course, someone needs already to be looking for you for this to help (and I don't personally vouch for the accuracy of this second-hand advice!).