The following accounts of field operations are the best efforts of the newsletter editor, are NOT official reports, and may have errors and omissions, for which apologies and regrets are expressed in advance.
Map created by Jeff Holmquist showing the locations of most 2001 SAR Operations.
The "stars" are searches and the "X's" are rescues
January
Richard Levak made some very nice comments about our team in an article in the January 15, 2001 San Diego Union.
Our dear friend Trapper has gone to Search Dog Heaven. Sincere condolences to Sallee.
BOARD of DIRECTORS ELECTION
Six Board member positions were filled at the January meeting. The board now consists of the following nine members with the time remaining on their terms.
| Joe Rousek | 2 years |
| Paul Zahn | 2 years |
| Dori Leyen | 2 years |
| Jutta Schmidt-Gengenbach | 2 years |
| Jeff Holmquist | 2 years |
| Greg Enright | 1 year |
| Jim Gilbreath | 1 year |
| Pete DeGeorge | 1 year |
| Noreen McClintock | 1 year |
A board meeting was held and the officers for 2001 were selected:
| President: | Greg Enright |
| Vice President: | Noreen McClintock |
| Secretary: | Paul Zahn |
| Financial: | Jutta Schmidt-Gengenbach |
| Training: | Pete DeGeorge with Jeff Holmquist |
| Equipment: | Dori Leyen with Joe Rousek |
January 2, 2001, 01-01R. Paul Yoo from Broomal, PA, was injured while walking in crampons on a icy slope at the base of the Lee Vining canyon ice climbing area. He slid down approx 60 feet, with injuries to his shoulder, chest and back. Other climbers in the area loaded him in the litter kept at the base of the climbing area and began carrying him out.
Medic 2 and the SAR team responded and all assisted in the evacuation. He was transported to Washoe Medical Center by Careflight from Lee Vining airport. Responders were: Greene (Ops), DeGeorge, Huntsman, Holmquist, Rudolph, Harvey, Albaugh, Poling, Leyen, and Schmidt-Gengenbach.
January 13, 2001, 01-02R. Rafael Arcari from San Diego was reported missing on Mammoth Mountain by friends. The team was called out at 1700 to look for the subject. Ski patrol conducted a sweep of the PLS (place last seen). Search teams checked areas of high probability on the mountain and in the village with no clues found.
The search ended at 2330 when the subject's mother called dispatch and said he was OK and home in San Diego. He hitchhiked home without informing anyone. Responders were: DeGeorge, Huntsman, Spring, White, Holmquist, Schmidt, Aguirre, Zahn, Tracey, Riggs, Ognibene, Greene, Helton, Newman, Enright (ops), Poling, Allen, McClintock, and Estrin.
January 18, 2001 - Avalanche Training - Gary Guenther will present a program on avalanches and how to deal with them at his home from 6:30 to 9 PM. Topics Covered will include stability evaluation, route selection, rescue, metamorphism, and mountain weather. A training video will be shown and a written exam will be given. All training will be indoors.
January 22-26, 2001 - OES Winter Search Management course - Jeff Holmquist provided the following commentary.
This year's OES Winter Search Management course was held at the Mammoth Mountain Inn from January 22-26. Participants were drawn from the entire state and were primarily team coordinators and administrators. Bill Greene and Boe Turner coordinated our team's participation, and although none of our members were able to take the entire course, several persons attended some of the sessions.
Team members also helped teach in the snow travel and avy beacon/probe field sessions (our bonus: Boe let us drive the Thiokol snowcat - very entertaining). The course make-up was about 75% classroom sessions and about 25% field trainings. Although some of the material covered in the course would be familiar to our members, there were two sessions in particular that people might try to attend in future years.
Ben Schifrin offered a four-hour High Altitude/Hypothermia/Cold-Injury session that was very informative and was oriented towards field situations. Instructors Coady and St. Clair taught a three-hour winter survival and sheltering session. The best part of this training was the field instruction on snow shelters and critique of the dozen or so different shelters that the class dug. Their lecture also provided a number of useful tips (personal favorite: Use a water bottle as a level when building a snow shelter or digging a tent platform. Duh!). Team participants: Aguirre, Greene, Holmquist, Ognibene, Schmidt.
January 30-31, 2001 01-03R. Ian Banner from San Mateo was last seen snowboarding out of bounds following other snowboarders down the south side of Dragon's Back. The team was called out at 1930 and searched from the PLS (place last seen) to the Lakes Basin and Hole in the Wall, with no clues. The search was suspended at 0530.
At 0700 teams of ski patrollers were sent out and searched from Dragon's Back to Hole in the Wall but found nothing. A rescue helicopter from Fallon NAS conducted an aerial search with no results.
At 0900 on January 31, Banner was able to contact the Reporting Parties (RPs). He had left the mountain OK, and checked into a local motel because he did not know where his friends were staying. Responders were: Enright (ops), DeGeorge (ops), Gilbreath (ops), Holmquist, Schmidt, Greene, Aguirre, Huntsman, Spring, Poling, Helton, Rudolph, Case, Lee-Lewis, and White.
February
Many thanks to Anita "Nickie" Leyen (Dori's mom) who is working on organizing our clippings, pictures, and scrapbook.
Our member Dr. Pete Clark gave us a very informative training session on hypothermia and frostbite at the February meeting. Thanks, Pete.
February 15, 2001. OES mutual aid to Placer County. The following is kindly provided by Jeff Holmquist, one of our responders.
Bryan Richmond and Brendan Allen, both 17-year old locals, skied off the back of the Squaw Valley lift at Peak 7671 at about 1500h on 21 February. The two nationally-ranked alpine racers were reported missing at 2100h. Search operations under the direction of the Placer County Sheriff's Office began that night and continued through that night and into the next day.
It was believed that the two intended to ski south out of the Squaw Valley area to Allen's home in the Bear Creek drainage that separates Squaw Valley from the neighboring Alpine Meadows ski resort. There was not a firm PLS (place last seen), and there was also a possibility that the two had planned to drop north out of Alpine Meadows into Bear Creek.
About 15-20 SAR volunteers were deployed by ski and snowmo; there were also ski area avy dogs and a WOOF team from Marin County involved in the search. The southern slopes of Peak 7671 were highly suspect, and one of the first teams in fielded a hasty search of that area. This team found that a slide had occurred on the slope but there were no transceiver signals, and a scuff search revealed nothing.
Early the next morning a dog team worked the avy debris, but there were no alerts. Search base was convinced that the slide area had a very high POA and ordered a probe search of the toe of the slide at about 1100h on 22 February. Probing successfully located the two skiers, not wearing transceivers, buried under five to six feet of debris. Field teams believe that the two skiers triggered the fatal avalanche.
I have a nice color topo of the search area and search paths taken by field teams, if anyone would like to see it. These Topo! maps were widely available at base. It was really interesting to see search strategy in unfamiliar country. Search base was well organized and seemed to do a good job of keeping track of the many teams from several different counties. Very reminiscent of our recent George Hoyt search.
There was a strong computer presence. I think they had 3-4 machines in operation. Search base was located in the meeting room of the Squaw Valley Fire Department located directly across the street from the resort. Ops appeared to be under the immediate control of volunteer operations leaders, with Placer County Sheriff's Office Lt. Keith Shannon being the ultimate authority. Seemed similar to our arrangement.
Field teams were fit and outdoorsy. Morale was great. Ski patrol appeared to be tightly integrated into the operation, as were the area avy dogs and handlers. People were surprised and pleased that Mono County sent personnel that far north. Team leaders emphasized that they would contact us for mutual aid more frequently in the future, and asked that we get them down here as well, when appropriate.
There was a major media presence, for better or for worse. There were at least three mega communications trucks from various network affiliates, each with satellite dishes, antennas, and people drinking too much caffeine. There was a report on public radio station KUNR immediately after the location of the skiers, and Bill Greene saw print coverage in the LA Times and Sacramento Bee. Base food looked/tasted like the same subs we ate on the Craig Sweet search.
February 17, 2001, 01-04R. George Hoyt failed to check out of his motel when expected to do so on Thursday February 15. On Saturday February 17 the motel contacted Mammoth Lakes Police Department, and Sgt. Dostie determined Hoyt's motel key was last used at 0725 the preceding Wednesday, and his last credit card purchase was a Mammoth lift ticket that same day. His last ticket scan was the gondola at 1017 Wednesday morning, about 45 minutes after the top of the mountain opened.
At 1520 hours, the SAR team searched the backside of the ski area. Hoyt was reported to be a proficient snowboarder and would go out of the ski area boundary to ski in the trees or jump off of rocks. Ski patrol teams checked the boundary for any tracks going out of the ski area. No sign of Hoyt was found during the night.
On Sunday, local resources were bolstered by OES mutual aid teams from Inyo County, China Lake, and search dog teams from WOOF and CARDA. More than 30 people were involved in searching high probability areas surrounding the ski area. Ski patrol teams from Mammoth Mountain meticulously searched all of the high probability areas inside the ski area boundary.
A storm moved in during the day, and conditions were very difficult for the searchers with poor visibility and rime ice forming on goggles and fur. The search was suspended due to darkness and unsafe conditions. When the weather cleared for a period, a search helicopter from Fallon NAS did an air search of the entire area with no clues found.
As time and weather conditions permit, SAR team personnel will continue to search for clues of Hoyt's whereabouts. Responders were: Enright (ops), Greene, Gilbreath, Riggs, Poling, Spring, Zahn, Enyeart, Rudolph, Holmquist, Schmidt, Guenther, Rousek, Lewis, Huntsman, and Leyen.
George Hoyt Search Briefing and Newspaper Articles (PDF) - See also this report when he was found.
March
Congratulations to Julia White and Dan Burnham, who have completed their Candidate ladder requirements, and were accepted as the Team's newest Rescue Members at the March meeting.
Mountain Mouse, AKA Jim's neighbor Don Deck, has volunteered to develop a worldwide web site for our Team. It is in its very early stages at this time, and needs input from the Team as to what we want to have there, but you can take a look at Don's first guesses at www.monosar.org. Pretty impressive.
March 3, 2001, 01-06R. Christian Hoffman from Los Angeles failed to return from snowboarding when expected. He dropped his snowboard when recovering from a fall on the backside of Hemlock ridge, and descended to recover it. He was then unable to climb back up, so he went down to the Reds Meadow road to walk out. Snow was deep, and it took him 6 hours to walk to the Agnew turnoff. As search teams were going out, a descending snowcat found him on the road. Responders were: Enright (ops), Huntsman, DeGeorge (ops), Holmquist, Schmidt, Spring, Poling, Enyeart, White, Greene, Aguirre, and Rudolph.
March 12, 2001, 01-07R. Mark Eddy, a local painting contractor, went skiing with a friend off the north side of Earthquake Dome (Scenic Loop Road). Near the end of the run Mark took a spill and broke his left leg at the boot top. Mammoth Fire was called out for the extraction as the initial report was that he was only two hundred yards from the road. The SAR team was requested after Mammoth Fire determined that Mark was approximately 1/3 of a mile in and up a snow-covered slope (requiring a low angle lowering). Mammoth Fire, medics, and SAR personnel stabilized and transported him via plastic litter to Medic III’s unit. Responders were: DeGeorge, Spring, Huntsman, Greene, and Aguirre.
Steep Snow Lowering Training
March 17, 2001 - WOOF team exercise 0900-1600. Everyone welcome, at Mammoth Knolls. Avalanche Work, Call a dog handler for details. There could also be a dog training/continuation of the Hoyt search on March 18 on the backside/weather permitting.
March 22 and 29, 2001 - First Aid Training with Inyo Search and Rescue Team at their Posse Hut at Bishop airport 1900-2100.
March 29, 2001 - Steep Snow Lowering Training at Hole in the Wall, with Greg Enright. Meet at Rescue 3 at 9 AM, or at the parking area at 10 AM if you have your own ice axe and crampons.
Greg says - I would like an email or phone call from everybody who plans on going to this training and include whether you have your own ice axe and crampons or if you need to use team equipment.
In the meantime, imagine how you would respond to a call of an injured skier in the Hole. How well would you be prepared with your ready pack? What team equipment should be carried up to the scene? How would you get the litter up to the site? What anchors would you use? What rigging systems would you employ to get the victim out? How are you going to package the patient on the steep slope? How would you use the Fire Department and Ski Patrol personnel who are already on scene?
If anyone has time to answer those questions and email the responses, I would appreciate it.
April
The biggest ever candidate class was voted in by the team at the April Team meeting.
The Team welcomes the following new candidates: Patrick Byrne, Christy Sabo, Neil Hightower, Shani Foeller, Scott Fitzstephens, Kelly Goodick, Natalie Morrow, Rachel Turiel, Eric Sorenson, Greg DeMatteo, Mark McNally, Carrie Holmes, Tina Smith, John Hronesh, Ed Madison, and Daun VanSickle. Interviews are still ongoing, so more people may be added to the list.
April 1, 2001 - Winter Training/Sherwin Range Orientation by Gary Guenther. Bring Ready packs/snowshoes-skis. Meet at 9:00 A.M. at the Union Bank Building parking lot at the Von's shopping Center in Mammoth. From there we will do a car shuttle. Poor weather or high avalanche conditions cancels.
Objective: With the large number of people skiing the area south of Mammoth Lakes team members should become familiar with this area.Access to the ridge will be from the Twin Lakes area, which involves a gain of 1250' on class 2-3 terrain on wind-packed snow slopes of 40 degrees. From the ridge we will discuss the different routes down the north faces. We will descend one or more of these routes after doing a hasty-pit evaluation. It's 2000' vertical down to our cars at the meadow about 2 PM. The slopes we will be skiing will be about 35 degrees and a bit steeper at the top. Snow conditions may be good or poor. The snow pack is in transition from a winter regime to a summer regime.
Required Equipment:
April 3, 2001 - Avalanche Training at June Mountain by Eric Diem and Ed Cornell. Meet at June Mountain parking lot at 9 AM. Be on time - no passes for late comers!
Backside Orientation Tours with Bob Sollima:
Mammoth Pass Orientation/Winter Overnight by Bob Sollima.
Weather will postpone this training to corresponding days one week later. Bring lunch for two days, your ready pack and skis (with skins) or snowshoes. You won't need a tent - Bob will provide. Statistics show there is usually a search during this time! Call Bob Sollima for details and to let him know you are coming. NO DOGS!
April ?, 2001, 01-07R. No information available.
April ?, 2001, 01-08R. Lara Gricar was snowboarding with friends in the Sherwin Range when she struck rocks while descending Rock Chute, resulting in a 300-yard slide on her back. Her friends called for help using their cell phone.
Team members, along with Mono County Paramedics and a helicopter from Fallon NAS, responded to extract her from the backcountry. She was lowered in a litter approximately 500 feet to a LZ, where the Fallon NAS helicopter was able to extract her via a low-hover loading. She was flown directly to Mammoth Hospital, and then flown to Washoe Medical Center that night by Care Flight.
Her injuries included a skull fracture, loss of hearing in her left ear, 2nd degree friction burns to her back and head, dislocated right arm, and bruise ribs. Responders were: Enright (ops), Huntsman, Holmquist, Schmidt, Poling, White, Case, Greene, Aguirre, Rudolph, Lee-Lewis, Albaugh, Spring, Salzman, Guenther, Enyert, DeGeorge, and Zahn.
George Hoyt Search – Dog teams continue to come to Mono County for training exercises, searching areas becoming more exposed as the snow melts.
May
Our current Rescue Member of the Year Bill Greene was recently honored by the Mammoth Rotary Club and the Mono County Sheriff’s Office as Outstanding Volunteer for 2001. It’s really great to see team members receive individual recognition that brings credit to the team as well. Well done, Bill!
Congratulations to Brian Huntsman, who completed his Candidate ladder requirements, and was accepted as the Team's newest Rescue Member at the May meeting.
Craig Knoche was accepted as a new Candidate Member at the May meeting.
What keeps us busy? "A venturesome minority will always be eager to set off on their own, and no obstacles should be placed in their path; let them take risks, for Godsake, let them get lost, sunburnt, stranded, drowned, eaten by bears, buried alive under avalanches – that is the right and privilege of any free American." Edward Abbey, in Desert Solitaire.
George Hoyt Search, Mammoth Mountain area. Team members continue to search as they have time available. Bob Sollima had searched 28 days as of the May team meeting. Dog teams continue to come to Mono County to search in conjunction with their training.
May 7, 2001. Mutual Aid call to help Mineral County, Nevada search for Robbie and Robert Wooley in the Truman Meadows area near the summit of Montgomery Pass. The subjects had been motorcycle riding and got lost, then ran out of gas and began wandering on foot. The Mineral County Team had 8 members on 8 quads. The Mono team was paged at 0430, and we assisted with 7 people and 4WD trucks. The subjects were found by Bill Greene and Brian Huntsman, walking in their socks on very sore feet after abandoning their motorcycle boots. Responders were: Rudolph, Albaugh, Greene, DeGeorge, Zahn, Rousek, and Huntsman.
May 8 & May 10, 2001 - Candidate Orientation Seminar - This is a required training for new candidates. Meet at Fire Station No. 2 at 7 p.m. After attendance at this class candidates are placed on call-out status.May 9, 2001 - Search Theory Classroom Training by Greg Enright after the team meeting.
May 14, 2001 - Search Training Field exercise (required candidate training). 5:30 p.m. at the Sherwin Creek picnic area (just east of the motocross turn-off on Sherwin Creek Road).
May 15, 2001 The SAR team was called-out to assist the Mammoth Police Department in locating three juveniles that had stolen and crashed a vehicle, then disappeared into the forest near Shady Rest Park. As Teams were returning to Base, the subjects were discovered northbound on 395 doing 90 mph in another stolen vehicle. Subjects were subsequently apprehended when they cashed their vehicle 16 miles inside Nevada north of Bridgeport.
Where George Hoyt was found
May 26, 2001, 01-04b. George Hoyt Search, Mammoth Mountain area. Team members continued to search as they had time available. Jutta Schmidt and Jeff Holmquist found George upside down under his snowboard east of the top of Chair 9.
Ski Patrol assisted with the recovery operation. This brings a sad end to a long search going on since February. Bob Sollima was out searching on 30 days, Greg Enright 20, Jeff and Jutta at least 15, and several others did a lot of independent looking, including several visits from WOOF dog teams. The family and friends donated $562 to the team in lieu of flowers at the memorial service.
May 24, 2001, 01-11R. Paul Curley from Colorado was backcountry skiing with a friend in a bowl below False White Peak near Saddlebag Lake when he injured his left knee when he fell in a turn. They splinted the leg with ski poles, and spent the night near Spuller Lake. The friend hiked out the next day and called 911 from TPR.
The team activated at 1030. A hasty team was sent in with the reporting party (RP), followed by litter and support teams. Blackhawk Helo 674 from Sacramento Army National Guard arrived at 1345 and began searching, directed by the ground teams. They got there first, and transported the victim to a landing zone (LZ) near the Saddlebag road, where he was transferred to a SAR vehicle and brought to base. He elected to go by private vehicle to Mammoth Hospital. All teams were out by 1600. Responders were: Aguirre (Ops), Enright, Greene, Gilbreath, Rudolph, Holmquist, Schmidt, Leyen, Walloch, Hronesh, Zahn, Mann, Huntsman, Kennedy, and ex-member Don Little.
May 28, 2001 - Knots, Anchors, and Rappel Training with Greg Enright at the Deadman rocks. Drive north on 395 past Deadman Summit, make the first LEGAL turnaround, go south a quarter mile and park on the shoulder on the west side of the highway.
June
June 4, 2001 - Knots, Anchors, Packaging, Low Angle Lowering, Rappel Training with Greg Enright at the Warming Wall near Canyon Lodge.
June 4, 5, and 6, 2001 - Swiftwater Rescue Training at Pickel Meadows.
June 11, 2001 - High Angle Lowering, Sound Victim Pickoff Training with Greg Enright at Howard Falls (our own name). Take Lake Mary Road to the outlet of Twin Lakes, U-turn a ΒΌ mile back toward town, and park on the shoulder.
June 18, 2001 - High Angle Raising Training with Greg Enright at Triple Cracks, turn east off 395 1/2 mile north of Crestview Maintenance Station.
June 25, 2001 - Rigging Tests with Greg Enright at Triple Cracks. Be prepared to tie all knots and participate in all systems.
June 29, 2001 - Blood Borne Pathogen Training with Kevin McBride. June Lake Fire Station, 6 PM. Required for Candidate Members.
Noreen McClintock has written an article for Mammoth Times regarding the anatomy of a search. Be watching for it. [Published in the July 26, 2001 issue. Click here to read it.]
Jeff Holmquist, Jutta Schmidt, Julia White, and Paul Zahn attended the Western States SAR Conference in Stead NV. Topics attended included: Aircraft briefings, Alzheimer's patient behavior, canine, critical incident stress, environmental injuries, evidence and clue preservation, high-tech lasers and beacons, incident command system, map & Compass, mine rescue, mountain Bikes in SAR, SAR dogs for managers, search pack and clothing, track awareness, and urban canine.
Paul Curley and his friend Ludwig have each made donations to the team in appreciation of our work for them.
The team was called to Earthquake Fault on Mammoth Mountain to aid a man who had fallen inside the tunnel. He suffered a dislocated shoulder, but insisted on walking out, rather than being extracted by litter. He was taken to Mammoth Hospital by the Paramedics.
June 28, 2001, 01-12R. Steve Berman and Mike ? from San Francisco were reported overdue by 20 hours from a climb of Mt. Ritter from their camp at Catherine Lake. The SAR team was called out, along with INYO Forest Service helicopter 525. The helo located the subjects at their camp. No information on why they were delayed. Responders were: Huntsman, McClintock, Case, Holmquist, Schmidt, and Gilbreath.
June 27 - July 10, 2001. Eric Tucker search in the Emigrant Wilderness. Our team responded to a mutual aid request from Tuolumne County, and searched the areas in Mono County from Leavitt Lake through Kennedy Canyon, Walker Meadows, Cinko Lake, and out to Leavitt Meadows. Tucker self-rescued himself and walked out to Baker campground (Toulomne Co.) after resting his injuries for a week near Kennedy Meadows without being found. Responders were: Gilbreath/Aguirre (Ops), Holmquist, Schmidt, Sorenson, Fitzstephens, Hightower, Sabo, Rousek, Enright, Hronesh, Mogg, and Helton.
July
Our entry in the annual 4th of July parade was headed up by Dori Leyen, and the team made a good showing. Like last year, we got FIRST PLACE!. Great job DORI et al.
SUCCESS STORY
This is why we do what we do
The following email from Dean Rosnau is an update on the victims of the Dana Couloir avalanche rescue. Dean visited them recently and they asked him to pass on greetings to the team and an update on their progress.
Chris Benziger, who suffered a fractured ankle and cared for the others before hiking and crawling out for help, has made a complete recovery and is once again playing hard. He is now in charge of national sales for the Benziger Family Winery, so he travels extensively. While at his home last week it was great to see Chris holding his son and relating how he found out he was going to be a father when his wife came over to get him from Mammoth Hospital following the avalanche. He clearly knows how lucky he was.
Adam Bloom, who suffered 7 fractures of his lower left leg, had the titanium rod that Tom Smith installed 3 years ago, removed from his leg just 4 weeks ago. He showed me the rod (which cost $4,000.00) and the before and after x-rays. Both bones are perfectly normal with no signs of the sickening breaks evident in the original films. I took a mountain bike ride with Adam last week and he is incredibly strong. He has nothing but scars to show for his injury. Adam just returned from 5 months in his homeland of South Africa and is now a board-certified nurse. He is currently shopping his resume around the Napa area. The accident has made a profound effect on Adam and he is extremely grateful for what the team did for him.
Greg Silvi was the most severely injured that day. He suffered a shattered right knee, broken ribs, fractured sternum, bruised heart muscle, punctured left lung, and a gash on the left temple. Greg had 3 surgeries on his knee, culminated by a transplant of knee cartilage from a cadaver. Greg was able to walk down the aisle and marry his bride just 6 months after the accident. His knee, along with all of his other injuries, have healed 100%. This was evident in the century bike race he rode in, along with Chris, while I was visiting. Greg now works as an advertising executive for Rolling Stone magazine and recently moved with his wife to Glen Ellen, just 2 miles from Chris and Adam.
All 3 of these guys wish to say thanks again to the team for the efforts made on their behalf on June 27, 1998.
July 8, 2001, 01-13R. Dr. Anita Sherman from Baltimore fractured an ankle while stepping off a log at the Cold Creek crossing. The SAR team hiked in and transported her via litter 4-1/2 miles to the Rainbow Falls trailhead, where she was taken to Mammoth Hospital via POV. Responders were: Greene (OPS), Helton, Poling, Foeller, Aguirre, Enright, Case, Rudolph, McClintock, McBride, Fitzstephens, Burnham, Mogg, Byrne, Schmidt, and Riggs.
July 19 & 20, 2001, 01-16R. Gary Ross from Georgia became ill Tuesday while hiking down Second Recess then climbing up Laurel Creek to a camp at Laurel Lake. He had nausea, dizziness, fever, chills, and cough producing blood, plus bloody urine. Wednesday the RP hiked out over Duck Pass and encountered USFS Wilderness Ranger 26, who radioed Inyo dispatch for help.
The SAR team was paged out at 1715 to Mammoth Airport. Helicopter 3LH made 3 search flights without finding the victim, and suspended until 0600 for mandatory pilot rest. Friday morning 3LH took off at 0645, located the victim at 0700 at Laurel Lake at UTM 335700- 4147350, and brought him to Mammoth airport where Medic-3 transported him to Mammoth Hospital. He was released at 1010, diagnosis was pneumonia. Responders were: Gilbreath (ops), Aguirre, Mogg, Rousek, Huntsman, Greene, Byrne, Hronesh, and Rudolph.
July 21, 2001, 01-14R. Dave and Alexis Boeshaar from Simi Valley rented an aircraft (N736YR) in Van Nuys to fly to Mammoth for the day. A MAYDAY call was heard, then communication was lost. The SAR team was paged out. Bill Greene went to the summit of Mammoth Mountain with an ELT receiver and got a strong signal. A fixed wing plane spotted the wreckage on the western slope of the Mammoth Crest west of Deer Lakes, and was able to communicate with the pilot via a radio salvaged from the wreck.
Two teams hiked in from Red's and Mammoth Pass. Three helicopters from Inyo Forest Service, CHP, and LeMoore NAS responded, landed in a meadow nearby, and the crews assisted the victims to the Navy helicopter, which took them to Fresno for treatment. Greg Enright continued to the crash site, verified the tail number and reported the location as UTM 323075, 4158433. Responders were: Greene, DeGeorge, Hronesh, Holmquist, Schmidt, Gilbreath (OPS), Enright, Rudolph, Albaugh, Rousek, Huntsman, and Bridger.
Assisting victims
Assisting victims
Preparing to load victims in Navy helicopter
July 22, 2001, 01-15R. Randy McDonald was hiking with 3 friends toward 1000 Island Lake 1/3 mile west of the High and River trail junction when he suddenly collapsed with convulsions for 20 minutes. This was approximately 1400 on 7-21. Thereafter he was extremely weak and unable to walk much, but was able to eat and keep hydrated. A passing hiker informed USFS entrance station personnel, but with uncertain location.
SAR team paged out & USFS helicopter 3LH requested. Team 1 and Team 2 started hiking in from Agnew Meadows and encountered the reporting party (RP) who provided an accurate location and status. He continued to Mammoth airport to provide OPS with additional info. 3LH was unable to locate on the first flight. Team 3 members Lewis and Morrow were then flown in, located the victim and assisted him to the helicopter, which brought him to Mammoth airport for transport to Bishop Hospital via RP's private vehicle. Teams 1 and 2 hiked out that night, Team 3 was flown out the next morning. Responders were: Gilbreath (OPS), Aguirre, Greene, Enright, Holmquist, Sorenson, Morrow, Rousek, and Lee-Lewis.
July 25, 2001, 01-17R. Tim Merritt was on the Shadow Lake trail when he twisted his ankle. The Team extracted him with the wheeled litter. He was taken to Mammoth Hospital by private vehicle. Responders were: Aguirre (ops), Greene, Huntsman, Mogg, Byrne, Holmquist, DeGeorge, Rudolph, Rousek, and Schmidt.
July 27, 2001, 01-18R. Sallie Rollans was with friends on a horse ride from the Silver Lake pack station to Clark Lakes. While enroute she was thrown from the horse. A member of the party rode out and notified authorities. Helicopter 3LH landed near her and transported her to Medic 2 at the June Lake Ski Area parking lot landing zone. She suffered a broken shoulder, fractured arm, and one broken finger. Responders were: Holmquist, Schmidt, Aguirre, Case, McBride, Mogg, Bridger, Zahn, Hronesh, Sorenson, DeGeorege (ops), and Lewis.
Patrick Glenn chowing down on an Egg McMuffin after returning to base
July 27, 2001, 01-19R. Three minors went on a day hike to Crystal Lake with family members. While coming back, they became separated from their group. They decided to take a steep route back to Lake George, and became trapped on a ledge above the lake. Fishermen at the lake noticed them waving and calling for help. The Team assisted them from the ledge with a low-angle raising. Responders were: Greene, Enright, and Huntsman.
July 27, 2001, 01-20R. Stacey Glenn and her three year old son Patrick went on a guided walk of Mammoth Mountain. While returning separately from the group to the Main Lodge, she took a wrong turn and began descending down the west side of Mammoth Mountain.
Search Teams were sent out, one to follow her track, and others to provide containment. Tracking teams lost her track near where the reflector line and Mammoth Pass trails intersect (in the burn zone). Teams were extracted from the field at approx. 0400 for rest and a morning start.
In the morning CHP helicopter H20 was enroute, along with additional search teams, when she was found riding a bus out from Reds Meadow. She and her son spent the night somewhere above Sotcher Lake (warm night). She thought she heard searcher whistles/shouts in the distance, but didn't respond as she thought her voice wouldn't be heard, and her son would be awaken to no avail. Responders were: Aguirre (ops), Zahn, Holmquist, Schmidt, Mogg, Hronesh, Greene, Enright, Lewis, Baker, Morrow, White, Foeller, Sorenson, Sabo, Hightower, Rudolph, Albaugh, Burnham, Gilbreath, Rousek, Kennedy, Riggs, DeGeorge, McCaulay WOOF, and Whatford WOOF.
July 30, 2001, 01-21R. Michael Davis was climbing the rock slabs behind Upper Soda Springs Campground when he found himself in an area of slick rocks where his heavy leather work boots provided little traction. He braced himself in a nook, waiting for help to arrive.
The Team reached him, putting on a harness for a low-angle lowering, and switching his shoes for a team member's sticky rubber soled shoes. He was assisted from his perch down the slabs to the campground. Responders were: Greene (ops), Holmquist, DeGeorge, Schmidt, Case, Harvey, Leyen, Sorenson, and Hronesh.
August
August 5, 2001, 01-22R. Joe Rousek was hiking with his daughter up the trail from Convict Lake when he came upon a party with a sick child. Joe radioed in the problem to authorities, and the Team responded to assist with a carryout. The Team arrived on scene as the party with the sick child reached the parking lot. Responders: DeGeorge (ops), Enright, Holmquist, Hronesh, Huntsman, Schmidt.
August 10, 2001, 01-23R Ally Willsey was on a day horse ride trip from the Rock Creek pack station to Davis Lakes when the horse she was riding became spooked. She was thrown from the horse, suffering injuries requiring a carryout. CHP helicopter H40 responded, along with a litter team, to bring her out. H40 was able to land near her location, and transport her to the Forest Service helipad near Mammoth Hospital. Responders were: DeGeorge (ops), Greene, Enright, Holmquist, Hronesh, Huntsman, Sorenson, Lewis and Rudolph.
August 17, 2001, 01-24R. Kenneth Ludwig from Oakland was backpacking in the Saddlebag Lake area with his wife and son when he was struck by a rolling bounder. The boulder and resulting fall caused Mr. Ludwig to have sever lacerations to his head, shoulder, and leg. His son hiked to the north shore of Saddlebag Lake, and was able to find a person with a FRS radio who had a friend with a radio near the Saddlebag parking lot. His friend went to the Tioga Pass Resort to notify authorities.
Lee Vining Fire Dept. personnel working at TPR, along with personnel from Saddlebag Lake resort, hiked in to treat Ken prior to SAR team personnel arriving on scene. CHP helicopter H20 from Auburn responded to the scene. SAR personnel arrived at the subject's location, and lowered him in a litter to the helo that had landed in a meadow. He was flow to Washoe Trauma Center, where he underwent immediate surgery to repair the damage to his leg. Update: His son reports that he was discharged from Washoe this past Wednesday. He has to return for surgery to repair the torn rotator cuff. Responders were: Greene (ops), Aguirre, Enright, Hronesh, Albaugh, Schmidt, Holmquist, Rudolph, and Huntsman.
September
We received a $300 donation from Gary Ross and his two companions in appreciation for our work in his rescue. His letter says: "I am doing fine and none the worse thanks to the professional, courteous, and heart-warming people of Mono County. I am so well aware of the chain of events that my situation set off, and would like to express my gratitude to all the many people involved in my rescue. Unfortunately these few words will have to suffice, as I know I can never repay this debt. I only hope that I will have the opportunity to help someone in need as you helped me."
We also received donations from Craig Sweet's family, Tim Schroeder's family (1997 rescue), and letters from Eric Tucker and his parents.
September 1, 2001, 01-25R. Christopher Stone from Poway, CA, was wading in the water above Rainbow Falls when a sharp rock became wedged between his foot and sandal. The rock caused a deep cut and a compound fracture of his second toe on the right foot. The Team extracted the victim via wheeled litter and vehicle to his mother's car at the Rainbow Falls trailhead. She transported him to Mammoth Hospital, where he underwent surgery to install two pins in his toe. Responders were: Greene (OPS), Enright, Sorenson, Huntsman, Schmidt, Sollima, Morrow, Bridger, and Mogg.
September 20, 2001, 01-26R. Timothy Allen from Long Beach wandered off from the Crystal Crag Lodge area to play his flute while watching the sunset without telling anyone in his party. He became disoriented while returning, which delayed him a couple of hours. While his father was being interviewed, Steve Case found the subject as he was walking down a road. Great job Steve!! Responders were: Greene (ops), Enright, Case, Hronesh, Holmquist, and Schmidt.
Each year the Sheriff's Office expresses appreciation to the Team in the form of a wonderful barbecue picnic. This year it will be held on Saturday September 22, at Mono Lake County Park at 1 PM. Please plan to come with your family and guests. Please inform Daun VanSickle quickly of the number of people you will have, so Boe can buy the right amount of FOOD.
Just prior to that at 12 noon, those who wish to will gather at the County Cemetery a mile east of the park to do a cleanup of Rick Mosher's grave and to remember that he died on duty August 15, 1979 in a plane crash while on a search in Convict Canyon.
September 27, 2001, 01-27R. Michael Perry from Los Angeles was deer hunting with a guide and friend in the Virginia Lakes area. While descending a scree slope his shoe became wedged in the rocks, resulting in a left boot-top fracture of his tibia and fibula. The guide hiked out to call for help. The SAR team extracted him via wheeled litter. Bill Greene transported him to Mammoth hospital. Responders were: Greene (ops), Aguirre, Enright, Byrne, Rudolph, Holmquist, Schmidt, and Hronesh.
September 28, 2001, 01-28R. Marian Wirick from Whittier was with her husband fishing at Lake Mamie and became separated. After he returned to the vehicle he was unable to locate her. She is an Alzheimer's disease patient. The SAR Team and Mammoth Fire were called to search. Hasty teams from SAR and Fire began searching the area, while Medic 3 and Mammoth PD units patrolled the roads. Less than 30 minutes into the search a citizen noticed her wandering around the Twin Lakes campground area and transported her back to SAR base at Lake Mamie. She had descended the slope from Lake Mamie to Twin Lakes, and had at some point waded across the stream between the lakes. Responders were: Greene (ops), Hronesh, Aguirre, Enright, Mogg, Holmquist, Schmidt, and DeGeorge.
October
Bob Sollima's horseshoe tournament contributed $400 to the team. Thanks to those who were able to help Bob. We understand you were well fed and "watered".
October 2, 2001, 01-29R. Heather Poitras from Mammoth twisted her ankle while hiking to Rainbow Falls. The Team, along with Devils Postpile personnel, transported her via wheeled litter and vehicle to SAR base. She declined paramedic help, electing to go to Mammoth Hospital via private vehicle. Responders were: Greene (Ops), Hronesh, Holmquist, Schmidt, and Mogg.
October 6, 2001, 01-30R. Carol Thornquist from Saratoga, CA injured her left ankle while descending a talus slope on the trail from Saddlebag Lake to Lundy Lake. She attempted to hike out on the injured ankle with assistance from her husband and daughter. Due to the slow speed and darkness, her daughter hiked out to call for help. At 2310 the Team was paged for a carryout. The victim was found about 1 mile from the trailhead, and transported via wheeled litter. She went to Mammoth Hospital via private vehicle. Responders were: Greene(ops), Enright, Holmquist, Schmidt, Hronesh, Rudolph, and Byrne.
October 20, 2001, 01-32?R. John Sack, of Palo Alto, was camping with a friend at Saddlebag Lake. He had been feeling poorly in the morning and did not accompany his friend on a non-technical climb of Mt. Conness. When his friend returned to camp, Sack was gone; there was concern that Sack might have attempted the climb late in the day and then run out of daylight. The subject returned to the campsite, after an afternoon of hiking, just before the arrival of the SAR team. Responders were: Zahn, and Holmquist.
October 25, 2001, 01-31R. Two female juveniles, of Mammoth, were reported missing and possibly runaways. MLPD asked the team to help in searching construction sites. Teams searched four buildings on Manzanita, three on Lupin, school buildings, and a new building across from the high school. The subjects were found in the lobby of the Shilo Inn. Responders were: Enright (Ops), Holmquist Schmidt, Zahn, Greene, DeGeorge, Knoche, Hronesh, Enyeart, Huntsman, Case, McClintock, Mogg, Riggs, and Rousek.
November
November 17, 2001, 01-32R. Jose Luis Vega from Santa Clara and 4 friends began a climb of Dunderburg Peak at about 1500. They ran out of daylight and turned back prior to summiting. During descent they were chilled by winds and freezing temperatures. Bacil became hypothermic and stopped moving in an attempt to avoid further heat loss. They had backpack gear, but no place to put a tent on the talus. None of the group had adequate winter gear or water, and all were tired having been awake for 48 hours. Two went for help while the others tried to rewarm Bacil with sleeping bags. Two SAR teams accompanied the RPs to hike back to the victim's location. A couple who live in the area were able to drive to an area near the victim. Companions were able to walk Bacil down to the vehicle. No medical assistance was requested or injuries reported. Responders were: DeGeorge (Ops), Byrne, Foeller, Albaugh, Sorenson, Rudolph, Gilbreath, Enyeart, Hronesh, Burns, Huntsman, Schmidt, and Holmquist.
December
The annual Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue evening of Thanks and Appreciation for all that the members have done for the benefit of the team was held on December 4, 2001 at the Double Eagle Resort and Spa in June Lake.
After an excellent dinner put together under the direction of Dori Leyen, the assemblage of over 60 members and guests applauded the contributions of various members and watched a slide show of the year's activities put together by Bill Greene.
Each year the all-volunteer Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team honors members for their individual excellence and public service.
Don Little was presented a Distinguished Service Award for his devotion and excellent service to the theam and victims.
Presented by President Greg Enright and Sheriff Dan Paranick
The team’s main honor for achievement is the Pete Schoerner Rescue Member of the Year award. The award is named in memory of a beloved teammate who was killed in an ice climbing accident in 1996.
The Pete Schoerner Rescue Members of the Year are Jutta Schmidt-Gengenbach and Jeff Holmquist. This pair completed their candidate training in near record time, and have been very active and faithful in responding to rescue calls. They serve the team on the Board of Directors, and have devoted much of their time to continue to search for the lost. They found George Hoyt, who was missing on Mammoth Mountain for several months.
Presented by President Greg Enright
New members in training are called Candidate Members, and must undergo training, practice, and testing in 18 categories of skills before being considered for advancement to Rescue Member. Examples of these skills include first aid and victim care, tracking, technical rescue, mountain navigation, helicopter operations, and skill with electronic aids such as radios and GPS receivers. Completion of all requirements requires a lot of dedication and faithfulness over a period of a year or more. The dropout rate is very high.
This year the team selected John Hronesh as the Candidate Member of the Year. John has been very active and faithful in both his training and in rescue operations, and also in making sure the equipment and vehicles are organized and ready for action.
Presented by President Greg Enright
Don Deck was recognized in appreciation of his work in building a web site for the team (www.monosar.org).
Presented by President Greg Enright
The honorees were presented with laser engraved cherry wood plaques by Team President Greg Enright and Sheriff Dan Paranick at the annual team awards on Tuesday December 4.
December 15 & 16 Tim Villanueva of the Bardini Foundation conducted a Level 2 Avalanche Training class for some of our team members. Those attending were Jeff Holmquist, Dori Leyen, Brian Huntsman, Laura Mogg, Eric Sorenson, Craig Knoche, and Paul Zahn. Here are some of Jeff's comments:
"In my opinion, the class was a major success and was definitely worth the investment. For me, it was one of the very best SAR trainings in which I've participated. Stuff we covered included:
Lecture: crystal types, hazard evaluation, weather, avalanche types, observing snow conditions, route finding.
Field Testing: snow pits, shovel shear test, compression test, stuff block test, crystal structure, Rutschblock test, hazard evaluation, double beacon search, group search scenarios ,snowball throwing.
We were evaluated by Tim in the following ways: observation of pit and test techniques, finding two buried beacons in four minutes, evaluation of our group search scenarios, and a written test. I think that this was an outstanding training and would recommend it to the rest of the team."
December 21, 2001, 01-33R. Subjects drove to Horseshoe Lake in their four-wheeled drive vehicle. Upon reaching the lake, their vehicle became stuck in the deep snow that was on the road. The SAR team “rescued” the subjects via snowmobiles. Responders were: Aguirre (ops), Hronesh, Zahn, Morrow, Harvey, Huntsman, Holmquist, Sorenson, Byrne, Enyert, and Poling.
December 21, 2001, 01-34R. Craig Hommel of Mammoth walked past the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area out of bounds signs in order to snowboard on the northwest side of Hemlock Ridge. He snowboarded past the traverse used to reenter the ski area and continued west to the Pumice Flat area. He walked up the snow covered Reds Meadow Road, past the pay phone at the ranger station, and dug himself into a large snowbank in the road as shelter for the night.
Search teams were deployed across the backside of the mountain beginning 0100 Saturday, as he had not left word of his intended route with friends. Searchers found his tracks emerging beyond those of the other tracks at 0330, and followed his tracks up the road. A Mammoth Mountain snowcat began clearing the road from Minaret Summit down to meet the search teams. The snowcat operator met the search teams at Starkweather Lake and picked them up to search the upper sections of the road.
The snowcat with the searchers found a discarded jacket and shortly afterward encountered Mr. Hommel walking up the road below Minaret Summit at 0720. He was shivering, but otherwise okay, and he was transported to Mammoth Mountain Ski Patrol room arriving at 0740.
Hommel said that he had kept warm by shaking to increase circulation while in his snowcave. He said the snowcat passed over him while he was inside the snowbank, and he had to struggle to get out of the snow, tearing his jacket off as he dug out. Medic 3 responded to examine him. His chief complaint was shoulder pain. Responders were: Enright (Ops), Holmquist, Byrne, Nelson, Huntsman, Knoche, Greene, McClintock, Sorenson, and Morrow.