From Review-Herald newspaper:

A Pasadena man that was reported lost after skiing out of bounds at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area on Monday was found in good condition by rescuers early Tuesday.

At about 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Eugene Chew, 35, skied out of bounds to Minaret Vista and continued to Agnew Meadows where he spent the night in a cabin located at the Agnew Meadow Pack Station.

At about 8 p.m.,Chew was reported missing by friends to the Mono County Sheriff.

At 10 p.m., a search was conducted under the direction of the June Lake Search and Rescue Team with the Mono County Sheriff Department, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Ski Patrol and the Mammoth Lakes Snowmobile Association.

Chew was found at 3:55 a.m. on Tuesday by Bob Salima, a caretaker for Red's Meadow Pack Station. Chew was taken out of Agnew Meadows by a Mammoth Mountain snowcat later in the morning.

Chew had no injuries, only blisters on his feet.

From Review-Herald newspaper:

What began as a search and rescue mission on Friday, June 4 ended near Mono Lake with the discovery of a dead Texarkana, Arkansas orthodontist.

Gerald H. Teasley, 57, was reported missing from the south tufa area of the lake at 9:30 p.m. on June 4, according to Paula Winn, a public information officer with the Mono County Sheriff's Department.

Search and rescue teams were dispatched from the Sheriff's department, Lee Vining, June Lake and Mineral County, Nevada and a search was initiated at 10 p.m.

Teasley was located at 2 a.m. on Saturday about a quarter mile east of the south tufa area parking lot. Teasley died of unknown causes before the rescue party reached him, Winn said. Further information will be received through an autopsy.

From Review-Herald newspaper report by Jason Montiel:

Youth killed in Lundy Canyon A 15-year-old Vista, Calif. youth died in a climbing accident Saturday as he and his cousin were scaling the rocky southern slope of 11,086-foot Mt. Olsen in Lundy Canyon, according to Paula Winn, spokeswoman for the Mono County Sheriff's Department.

Matthew Schlemeyer, 15, and his cousin Brian Marsh, 15, of Twin Peaks, Calif. departed from Lundy Lake Resort for a day hike at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. The youths were reported missing at 6 a.m. on Sunday, and a search and rescue mission was started at 6:45 a.m.

Shortly before noon on Sunday, the victims were found roughly 2,500 feet up the slope of Mt. Olsen from Lundy Lake.

Schlemeyer was killed following a 100-foot fall from a rock ledge, Winn said.

Marsh also suffered from multiple injuries following a fall, but was found alive after spending a night on the mountainside. Marsh was transported by helicopter to Mammoth Centinela Hospital for treatment for a head injury, multiple bruises and lacerations as well as dehydration.

Marsh was discharged from the hospital on Monday, a hospital spokesman said.

Schlemeyer and his family were vacationing over the Fourth of July weekend at nearby Lundy Lake, according to his father Phil Davis. "We try to get up there almost every year," Davis said.

The rescue effort was a combined effort of the June Lake Search and Rescue Team, the Mono County Sheriff's Department, Medic 2 as well as aircraft from Fallon Naval Air Station, China Lake Naval Weapons Center, Toiyabe National Forest and Inyo National Forest.

From Review-Herald newspaper report by Jason Montiel:

(continued from above> In another search and rescue effort on Sunday near Devils Postpile National Monument, an Altadena, Calif. man was plucked by rescuers from a rock about three-quarters of the way up Minaret Falls.

Andy Stokes, 52, jumped into Minaret Creek to rescue his dog, which was swept up by the current. Stokes saved his dog, but in the process, became stranded on a rock in the middle of the falls.

Stokes and his dog were saved by June Lake Mountain Rescue.

From Mammoth Times newspaper:

Almost Over the Rainbow - Falls rescue saves man, dog

An extraordinary feat of rescue took place July 4 as a man and his dog hung onto a rock, stuck three-quarters of the way up Minaret Falls near Devils Postpile.

That warm morning, Andy Stokes, 52, of Alta Dena had been hiking down the trail to the falls. When his party stopped by a riverside pool to rest and cool off, Stokes' dog, Ivan, dived in and was quickly swept down river by the current, going over at least one cascade before the 100 lb. Doberman could scramble onto a rock.

Stokes went in, attempting to rescue Ivan, but lost his own footing in the strong current and went tumbling over another cascade down toward the steepest part of the 100-plus-foot falls. Passing some willows growing out of a bank, Stokes grabbed them and pulled himself to a rock perched on the precipice.

Help was sent for and soon the June Lake Mountain Rescue Team arrived to find the man and dog stuck in the middle of the falls, about three-quarters of the way up.

"It was a miracle he wasn't hurt or swept away. He was right at the edge," said Russ Veenker, the team's operations leader. "If they'd lost their footing, it would have been all over."

However, for Steve Case, a certified swiftwater rescuer, and the rest of the expert team, it was textbook simple. "In fact," said Veenker, "the only critical part was if our rescuer, the person or the dog went over the falls, the person wouldn't have lived."

Anchoring to trees above the falls, the team rigged up a Tyrolean - a static line with pulleys - and Case, helmeted and wearing a Personal Flotation Device, descended to the rock.

"It was like a Batman trolley system," said Doug Magee, search-and-rescue coordinator for the Mono County Sheriff's Department.

When Case reached them, he had Stokes calmly put on a helmet and PFD, attached him to the Tyrolean and then the rest of the team on the banks leveraged Stokes out of the falls and onto the bank. Case and the dog soon followed.

Assisting in the rescue efforts were lnyo Forest Law Enforcement Officers, Devils Postpile Parks personnel and members of the new RACES group of amateur radio operators, who came in and took over radio operations in the remote area, said Magee.

Officials warn visitors that rivers and streams in snow-melt stages are not for wading, and crossings are extremely hazardous. Those who may be familiar with ocean undertows or rip currents are advised that rivers are every bit as dangerous. Work with the flow and immediately look downstream if caught in one. MT

From Review-Herald newspaper report by Jason Montiel:

A dramatic rescue performed by the June Lake Mountain Rescue Team over the Fourth of July weekend is planned to be featured on the Fox Television Network's "Code 3" program.

The incident to be featured was a very technical white water rescue of a man and his dog from a rock near the top of Minaret Falls.

On July 4, 52-year-old Andy Stokes of Altadena, Calif. jumped into Minaret Creek to rescue his dog, which was being swept downstream by the raging current. In the process, Stokes was caught in the current as well and got stuck on a rock in the middle of the creek by the top of the falls.

The rescue video tape is to be used by the show as a segment in a program to be aired this fall, winter and spring. The show could go into syndication on cable in few years. A full show could be devoted to the rescue team if another "cliffhanger" is caught on tape in the near future.

But for now, Dave Williams, who shot the rescue for Hot Wire Video of Mammoth Lakes, said "Code 3" is planning to feature the rescue team in a five minute segment of the show.

"They're going to come up and shoot interviews with the team members," Williams said.

"They've already interviewed victim Andy Stokes."

Russ Veenker, operations leader with the rescue team, said appearing on the show will fit in well with the team's message of mountain safety education.

"One of the goals of mountain rescue is not only to engage in search and rescue, but to engage the public in safety education," Veenker said. "And that's the kind of how we view the exposure through television."

This will be the first time that June Lake Mountain Rescue Team is featured on national television. The team is a volunteer group made up of 27 full members, five support members and 22 candidates.

From Review-Herald newspaper report by Jason Montiel:

(continued from above) Also, a backcountry skier near Saddlebag Lake was injured Sunday when he started an avalanche which pushed him into a rock and injured his leg.

Robert Bewyn, 37, of Hilton Creek, was rescued after his ski partner summoned help. Bewyn was carried two miles by June Lake Mountain Rescue personnel with the help of resort employees at Saddlebag Lake and three other volunteers.

From Review-Herald newspaper report by Jason Montiel:

(continued from above) Another pair of skiers attempting to ski Bloody Mountain on Sunday were reported missing, but were later found unharmed.

Wilder Thomas, 16, and David Thomas, 20, both of La Canada, Calif., underestimated the difficulty of the trip and the time the trek would take.

The Thomas brothers were found in good condition on their way out of the backcountry by June Lake Mountain Rescue and an Inyo National Forest helicopter.

From Review-Herald newspaper by Kelli Du Fresne:

Rescue workers wheel injured Mark Kooler across one of many streams on their way out of Lundy Canyon


Kellie Koller, 22, hugs sister Jessica Koller, 8, after being rescued in Lundy Canyon

Hikers beware. Lundy Canyon. It may be beautiful, but it's just a wee bit dangerous.

Mark Koller, of San Diego, found this out when he slid, on his back, 200 feet down a snow field and another 10 feet over rocks. Koller slid when he tried to clear a path for his children to cross the snow field.

Koller and his children, Kellie, 22, Johnathan, 10, and Jessica, 8, were on a day hike to Lundy Lake via Saddlebag Lake.

About 30 minutes after Koller's fall, Sylvia Leggette ran out of the canyon and reported the fall. At approximately 1 p.m., the Mono County Sheriff's Office immediately called for a countywide search and rescue response to aid the fallen man in Lundy Canyon.

Dave Carle and Shawn Moats of June Lake Mountain Rescue responded and hiked an hour up the Lundy Trail to where Koller slid.

Above Koller on a rocky ledge, Koller's children waited too terrified to make their way down the trail and smart enough not to follow their father.

"I was right behind him when I saw him fall," Johnathan Koller said. "I ran back as fast as I could."

Following Carle and Moats were other members of the mountain rescue team, a paramedic from Medic II and members of the Bridgeport Volunteer Fire Department who with Search and Rescue Coordinator Doug Magee initiated a ground rescue operation.

Although ground rescue was underway, a helicopter search and rescue team from the Fallon Naval Air Station was dispatched at 2:14 p.m.

The helicopter arrived about 3:15 p.m. In an attempt at what is termed a "short haul rescue", the helicopter rappelled crew member Brian Steele down to the rescue site. The intent of this operation was to airlift the victim out of the canyon and transport him to the waiting ambulance at the Lundy dam and return to the canyon to extract the others.

However, high altitudes and winds caused any further "helo" evacuation maneuvers to be abandoned at about 5:30 p.m.

Ground rescue was then initiated by the rescue crew from the victim's position.

Koller was carried out in a litter approximately three miles down the canyon, across snow fields, streams and steep rocky terrain to the Lundy trail head where members from the Lee Vining Fire Department met the initial rescue crew and aided in the last 25 minutes of Koller's transport.

Koller was taken to Mammoth Centinela Hospital at about 8:15 p.m., was treated for a laceration to his right ankle and released.

Koller's children were brought down from the ledge with help from Moats, and other rescue workers using climbing gear and other technical rescue techniques. Once down from the ledge, the children then hiked out Lundy trail and met their father at the ambulance. "It was a long day," daughter Kellie said after sister Jessica joined her father, for moral support, on his ride to the hospital.

This is a common hike during the summer when it is possible to hike from the top of the Sierra to the bottom of the Sierra via Lundy Trail.

Hikers can cross Saddlebag Lake on a water taxi and hike seven miles through Lundy Canyon to Lundy Lake.

During the last seven years of drought, the hike has been free of snow and passable at this time of year.

However, this year's average snowfall has left snow fields and the route is only "barely passable," according to Sara Potter of the Mono District Ranger Station.

The district ranger station advises the use of extreme care while hiking in this area.

From Mammoth Times newspaper by Kelli Du Fresne:

Hiking for miles through wilderness may seem like a pleasant excursion to most. For volunteers of search and rescue teams, it's not all pleasant.

It's not that these people don't appreciate wildflowers and waterfalls. It's just that when carrying an injured victim through rocks, bushes and streams, there is a bit more to distract one's attention.

I got a first-hand look at these people in action this past week and I am impressed. As I hiked up the canyon in search of a story, it was clear to me that the rescue was going to be an extended effort. At this time it was about 5 p.m. The initial rescuers had been gone since before 1 p.m. The man and his children were still in Lundy Canyon.

As I crossed the streams and crawled over downed trees, I could only imagine what it would be like to carry someone down.

I had a scanner and my camera in a bag and was listening to the radio traffic. Mono County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Magee was rounding up food, water and headlamps and it was obvious they thought themselves in for a long haul.

I passed a bunch of abandoned rescue equipment - in this case a litter wheel - and thought about ditching my bag, but decided to carry on. About an eighth of a mile later, the rescue crew radioed that they needed the wheel for the litter. The helicopter wasn't coming.

It was an hour's hike from where Magee was coordinating the rescue near the Lundy Trailhead to the rescue site, and it was going to take rescuers three hours to pack the victim out.

Life would be much easier if they had the wheel.

I met with the rescue crew at the bottom of the second snow field. They were happy to see the wheel, even if not so thrilled that it came with the press.

It is encouraging to see these people in action and know that they are here when needed.

No obstacle would stop them. They went through bushes, over rocks, over and into streams carrying packs and the litter. They hadn't rested for hours.

The "they" in this commentary are members of the June Lake Mountain Rescue Team, the Bridgeport and Lee Vining fire departments, a paramedic from Medic II, a crew member of the Fallon Naval Air Station helicopter search and rescue and the Mono County Sheriff's Office.

Most of these people are volunteers. They aren't paid to risk, their lives and limbs helping other people. They are your neighbors.

What has to be done gets done. Nobody isn't telling Anybody that Somebody else is going do it. Someone just gets it done.

Next time one of these organizations goes in search of the almighty dollar, remember to buy two tickets instead of one. They may come in search of you.

P.S.: Thanks for the cookie.

From Review-Herald newspaper by Jason Montiel:

Members of the June Lake Mountain Rescue Team, paramedics from Medic III and Inyo National Forest personnel rush to load Lee Wilson Sloan of San Francisco on to a helicopter along the shore of McCloud Lake after Sloan collapsed along the trail.

A hiker making his way along the trail near McCloud Lake died Sunday after suffering from cardiac arrest, according to Doug Magee, search and rescue coordinator of the Mono County Sheriff's Office.

Lee Wilson Sloan, 76, of San Francisco, was pronounced dead at Mammoth Centinela Hospital at 11:11 a.m. on Sunday after being flown by helicopter from the shore of McCloud Lake.

The death followed nearly an hour of efforts to revive Sloan by a nurse who along with other bystanders happened to be hiking by this alpine lake just west of Mammoth Lakes.

Members of June Lake Mountain Rescue Team and paramedics from Medic III then arrived and continued with another 30 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation before an Inyo National Forest helicopter arrived to take Sloan to the hospital.

Rescuers carried Sloan by litter from the north side of the lake along an overgrown trail and through sharp brush, a rushing stream and in places nearly two feet of frigid water along the lake's shallow west shore to reach the awaiting helicopter on the south shore.

"It was easier to go through the water than use that silly trail," said rescuer Dan Wright.

After Sloan was airlifted away, Steve Case, a rescuer who performed CPR on Sloan at the scene, credited bystanders who carried out CPR with improving Sloan's chances for survival.

"I think that everything was done that could have been done," said Case. "They were doing it (CPR) 52 minutes before we got here."

Those at the scene explained that it took nearly an hour and a half for Sloan to be transported to the hospital because initial bystanders had to hike out nearly two miles to reach a telephone at Pokonobe Lodge on the north shore of Lake Mary.

Rescuers reached the scene about 15 minutes after the initial call.

Sloan had a history of heart problems, a witness said.

From Review-Herald newspaper Letters To The Editor:

It has been brought to our attention that between July 3 and July 16, 1993, the June Lake Search and Rescue Team was called upon by the Mono County Sheriff's Department to execute 10 search and rescue missions involving 15 victims.

These missions included technical rescue from snow and ice, technical rescue from rock, helicopter evacuation of injured from high angle terrain, the transportation of victims over many miles of rugged mountain trails, and the evacuation of a victim and his dog from the middle of a waterfall.

The members of the June Lake Mountain Rescue Team donated over 1,400 hours in these tireless efforts to provide for the safety of Mono County's residents and visitors. Each of you should be as proud of your dedicated efforts as we are, not only for the incredible achievements in this recent rush of activity, but also for the security you provided to this County every day of every year.

With Sincere Gratitude,
Andrea Lawrence, Chair, District 5
Dan Paranick, Vice Chair, District 2
Bill Reid, District 4
Mike Jarvis, District 1
Tim Alpers, District 3
Board of Supervisors
County of Mono

From Review-Herald newspaper report by Jason Montiel:

Rescuers carefully lower Galen Okazaki of Woodland Hills down from a ledge on Iris Rock last Friday. Pictured on ledge are, from left to right, paramedic Bob Rooks, Steve Case of June Lake Mountain Rescue (JLMR), Mike Yost of JLMR and John Estridge of JLMR. Down below holding the litter containing Okazaki are Rick Devore of JLMR at left and Russ Veenker of JLMR - Review-Herald/Jason Montiel

Climber hurt in accident Russ Veenker of June Lake Mountain Rescue has one message for rock climbers: "Belayers take note. Keep the slack out on the belay line."

One climber and the man who was holding the safety rope for his friend - which is known as "belaying" in mountaineering terms - both had to learn this lesson the hard way last Friday.

Galen Okazaki, 31, of Woodland Hills was climbing up the granite face of Iris Rock above Iris Meadows along Rock Creek when he slipped and fell.

Normally, correct belaying would have allowed Okazaki to fall only a few feet and kept him from being seriously hurt. But instead, his friend Erik Hand, 28, of Agoura Hills mistakenly had too much slack in the belay line and Okazaki slid about 30 feet down the rock face and landed on a rock ledge.

The result was that Okazaki received a compound fracture just above his left ankle, requiring a very technical rescue from the ledge by members of the June Lake Mountain Rescue Team, paramedics from Medic 3 and representatives of the Mono County Sheriff's Office.

"It was a leader fall," said Hand, describing what led to the accident. "He went down feet first the entire way down. His ankle just snapped."

Hand said that it was his job to keep the safety rope taut for Okazaki. "It became taut right before he hit," he said. "The rope saved his back and head."

Hand said he and Okazaki are both "intermediate" climbers who stopped by Iris Meadow for some climbing Friday before heading to their cabin in Bridgeport for the Labor Day weekend.

As Hand looked on, rescuers scaled the cliff and began to ready Okazaki for transport on a wheeled litter. After carefully lowering Okazaki down the cliff, personnel then slowly wheeled him down through the loose scree of the hillside below and across Rock Creek to the waiting ambulance.

Okazaki was transported to Mammoth Centinela Hospital, where he remained in stable condition Wednesday.

Back at the campground at Iris Meadow just after the rescue, campground host Bud Todd said he was the one who summoned rescuers after camper Gene Hart of Lake Los Angeles came running over announcing the accident. "I was just laying down in my trailer," Todd said. "I jumped in my truck and drove 80 miles an hour to the phone. It wasn't long before they (rescuers) got here."

Todd said Iris Rock attracts a lot of climbers, but added this was the first accident he saw since moving in to manage the campground in May.

After the rescue, Veenker said Okazaki was relatively lucky. "He could have come down head first," he said. "He could have been hurt a lot worse."

From Review-Herald newspaper report by Kimberlee Noll:

On Saturday, the June Lake Mountain Rescue Team was called out on two rescue missions, saving the life of one man climbing near Lee Vining and transporting two women with leg injuries out of the Mammoth Lakes area back country.

Theodore Dean Foster, a professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz was climbing Mt. Conness when he fell 400 feet, suffering head and chest injuries.

Mt. Conness is located east of Lee Vining, on the boundary of Yosemite National Park and the Hall Natural Area.

At approximately 6 p.m. Saturday, the Sheriff's office received the call that Foster, 64, had fallen and that three nearby climbers were carrying him to Alpine Lake, west of Mt. Conness, where a helicopter could airlift him out of the area.

Winn stated that Foster's life was probably saved due to the fact that he was carried to a location reachable by helicopter.

Foster is in serious and stable condition in the intensive care unit at Washoe Medical Center in Reno.

Earlier on Saturday, at approximately 10:45 a.m., the June Lake Mountain Rescue Team received a call about two wounded hikers in the Barney Lake area, below Mammoth Crest on the Duck Pass Trail.

Dayna Green, 27, of San Francisco, dislocated her knee and Cheri Loustalet, 27, of Fresno, was suffering from a minor ankle injury.

A helicopter transported the two women to Mono Village in Bridgeport where they declined further aid or medical treatment.