2010 Mission Summary
The Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team is an all-volunteer organization that in 2010 responded to 45 calls from the Sheriff in aid of 60 subjects, 49 of whom were non-residents.
26 of the missions were searches, 32 were rescues, and 13 were both. 17 calls were snow related. 20 missions involved injuries, with 5 fatalities.
Of the 60 subjects there were 37 hikers and backpackers, 8 snowmobilers, 3 climbers, 3 stranded motorists, 3 snowboarders, 3 fliers, 1 snowshoer, and 1 skier.
The team volunteers were in the field for 388 hours, contributing a total of 2642 man-hours.
As with all first responders, the team spends a lot of personal time just being ready, through training, practice, equipment care, and personal fitness. In 2010, formal training sessions alone totaled 3534 man-hours.
The team was first organized in 1966, and has no employees or payroll, but does have significant expenses that are largely met through donations.
The major project now is to acquire a building to house the team's vehicles and equipment, that for so many years have had to be out in the weather, as well as provide space for meetings and training. The team currently has the use of a temporary structure, thanks to the Sheriff's Office, which must be vacated soon. Plans are currently in the permitting process, and the team hopes to be housed in a new steel building by the time snow flies in the fall.
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.
January
Officers for 2010 were approved: President - Jutta Schmidt, Vice President - Jeff Holmquist, Equipment Officer - Dave Michalski, Financial Officer - Bill Greene, Training Officer - Barry Beck, Secretary - Marie Pavlovsky.
January Training included Snowmobile Operation, Avalanche Beacon classroom and testing, Lake Ice Rescue classroom and Blood-bourne Pathogen classroom.
January 9-10, 2010. 10-019 #1. Robert Lane, 60, of Mono County, was located deceased by Team personnel on Sunday, January 10, 2009, at approximately noon just off of Highway 120 near Sagehen Summit. The prior day Lane’s sister had called the Sheriff’s department, requesting that a welfare check be made as she had not had contact with her brother for several weeks. Lane lived alone in a remote area of Mono County south of Sagehen Summit that is only accessible in the winter by snowmobile.
A Mono County Deputy and a Team member drove snowmobiles out Highway 120, reaching Lane’s unoccupied vehicle that was parked in drifted snow on the shoulder of Highway 120 at Big Sand Flat. They then snowmobiled to Lane’s house but were unable to locate him at his residence.
On Sunday morning the Team, along with Sheriff personnel, used snowmobiles and the Sheriff’s Thiokol snow cat to begin the search for Lane. He was located lying in the snow a few hours after the search commenced, approximately a mile from his vehicle. Responders were: Greene (ops), P. DeGeorge, Beck, Brenninkmeyer, Corning, Holmquist, Michalski, Rousek, Schmidt, Brad Schilz, Scotese, Hartstrom, and Salay.
January 24, 2010. 10-048 #2. During a snowmobile training ride, members of the Team responded to a request for GPS position for a snowmobile accident at the intersection of the C and F trails about 1 mile down from Main Lodge. The accident involved a two person MMSA rental sled, with a female driving and her husband as the passenger. Both victims had been transported to Mammoth Hospital prior to the Team arrival. Responders were: Greene (Ops), and Michalski.
February
February 6-7, 2010. 10-069 #3. Sara Knadler, 48, of Crowley Lake, and Kevin Crane, 54, of Malibu, were snowmobiling in the Crestview area and became stuck. They were unable to contact friends for assistance, and the SAR team was dispatched to bring the two in from the backcountry. The field team was also able to extricate the two snowmobiles. Responders were: Holmquist (ops), Greene (ops), Schilling.
February 7, 2010. 10-070 #4. Jon Van Meter, 31, of Cardiff, California was reported overdue when skiing Mammoth Mountain in the Hemlock Bowl region. In addition, Paul Casey, 41, of Manhattan Beach, California was reported missing overdue while snowboarding in the same area. Teams were about to head in to search when the subjects were located uninjured by Ski Patrol, and returned to Main Lodge from Reds Meadows via snowcat. They were charged for the service by MMSA. Responders were: Greene (Ops), DeGeorge, Walker, Salay, Scotese, Pavlovski, Schilling, Schmidt, and Holmquist.
Dori Leyen received 10-yr plaque and LeMond signed donut box.
Pete DeGeorge spent two weeks in Haiti helping recover bodies.
February Training included on-going Snowmobile Operation and Avalanche Beacon testing, Belay and Prusik Technical Rescue classroom.
March
March 5, 2010. 10-110 #5. Glen Taylor, 46, and Tom Greenstein, 39, of Mammoth Lakes, were riding snowmobiles at about 65 MPH in the Mono Craters area near Pumice Mine Rd. Both failed to see the embankments of the road, and became airborne and were thrown off the machines nearly simultaneously. Taylor sustained injury to his back and numbness in his legs. Greenstein was found unconscious by a third rider in the party, but regained consciousness and was able to ride out to Highway 395 at Bald Mtn Rd to get help. June Lake Fire, County Paramedics, and the SAR Team responded. Taylor was transported via the Team toboggan to the ambulance and was later flown to Reno for further treatment. Responders were: DeGeorge (Ops), Greene, Holmquist, Schmidt, Pavlovski, Salay, Schilling, and Corning.
March 10, 2010 - Winter Training by Jeff Holmquist
Ben and Jerry's fundraiser raised $1000.
April
April 14, 2010 - Bulding & Vehicle after meeting training.
April 15, 2010 - Lake Ice Rescue field training.
Thirteen new candidates joined the team: Christina Ackerman, Barbara Barnum, Jim Bold, Rick Dodson, Lisa Maroti, Jon Robertson, Megan Archer, Gary Boyd, Britt Cogan, Jason Davenport, Ron Lopez, Geoffrey O'Brian and Scott Quirsfeld.
April 17, 2010 - Candidate Basic Training, Building & Vehicle Training and Litter Training
April 19, 2010 - Radio Training
May
May 1, 2010 - Mountain Navigation Training with Jim Gilbreath.
May 6, 2010 - Computer Mapping - TOPO! Training
May 12, 2010 - Tracking classroom and May 15, 2010 Tracking field training
May 19 and 27, 2010 - Technical Rescue Training - Knots
May 22, 2010 - Search Training
May 24, 2010. 10-266 #6. Anthony Aguilera Jr., of Santa Bianca, was reported missing in the cold early hours of 24 May after a night out with friends and family at Convict Lake Resort. He was last seen leaving his father's rented cabin at the resort and was enroute to his own cabin.
The Mono SAR team was dispatched and searched the area surrounding the resort with additional support from Mono County Sheriff personnel and a dog team from Inyo SAR. A helicopter from CHP had also been requested but was not yet enroute. Aguilera returned to the resort at 6:15 AM. He had walked up a hill, fallen down, and decided to sleep where he fell before returning to his cabin. Responders were: Holmquist (Ops), Bold, Schmidt, Pavlovsky, Lopez, Dodson, Rousek, and Pierce (Inyo).
May 31-June 1, 2010. 10-289 #7. Michael Oberth, of Lincoln, California was severely injured while skiing in the Matterhorn Peak area. He took a fall down a rock slope, suffering severe head injuries. One of his sons that were skiing with him skied/hiked to their base camp and notified his mother. She hiked out to Mono Village and called 911.
The SAR team responded to Mono Village and sent teams in with medical and victim transport gear. The SAR team located the subject at 2246, deceased. Followup teams arrived, and did a snow lowering to a flat LZ. All team members returned to base, except for two team members who stayed with the remains overnight. The following morning a Blackhawk helicopter from the National Guard arrived and was able to land at the field team's location. The helicopter transported the remains and the two team members to the Bridgeport airport. Responders were: Greene (Ops), Rousek, Winder, Holmquist, Pavlovsky, Beck, Hartstrom, Salay, Gilbreath, Thompson, Barnum, Maroti, Bold, Cogan, Dodson, Robertson, DeGeorge, and Walker.
June
June 2, 2010. 10-300 #8. Keith Nannery, 60, of Joshua Tree, rappelled off the end of his rope, in the far northern end of Owens Gorge, and fell 20'. After the fall, he was unable to stand, complained of chest, back, pelvic, and leg pain, and had intermittent mild nausea, but was generally stable with good vital signs.
The SAR team and SO personnel responded to the scene, sending a hasty medical team to assess and support the patient and scouting teams to look for a route that could be used for transport by wheeled litter. Mono County paramedics were called for medical support, and the medics also scrambled down the class 3 access route to reach Nannery.
Finding no suitable route for the wheeled litter, the SAR team lowered the litter down the climbing route, and then did a technical raising of the patient and a litter attendent. Nannery was then transported to SME by the medics. He was later determined to have fractured his pelvis in two locations resulting in some internal bleeding Responders were: Holmquist (ops), Bold, Pavlovsky, Corning, Greene, Case, B Schilz, C Schilz, Beck, Thompson, Schilling, Walker, and Weatherly.
June 5, 2010 - Technical Rescue Low Angle Training
June 7-11, 2010 - Search Management Training at Truckee
June 9, 2010 - Blood-bourne Pathogen training
June 12, 2010 - Technical Rescue Steep Angle Training
June 14, 2010 - Steep Snow Travel Skills training
June 18-20, 2010 - YOSAR Rigging Training
June 19, 2010 - Helicopter Training with Bill Greene
June 25, 2010 - Swift Water Rescue First Responder classroom Training; June 27, 2010 - Swift Water Rescue First Responder field Training
June 22, 2010 - Technical Rescue High Angle Training
July
July 5, 2010. 10-none #9. Dave Amin, of Rolling Hills Estates, and his family of four began a hike from Minaret Vista, lost the trail in the snow and became disoriented with no landmarks in view due to tree coverage. He called 911 with his cell phone for aid, and a Team member was able to guide them via phone to a point uphill where landmarks were visible. They walked out to Highway 203 and returned to their car. Responders were: Greene (Ops), and Gilbreath.
July 5-6, 2010. 10-372 #10. On Monday afternoon, July 5, 2010, Robert Butler, 66, of San Diego, was reported missing while returning from a backpacking trip after failing to meet his hiking group at their vehicle parked at the Sawmill Canyon trailhead parking lot southwest of Lee Vining.
Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team members began searching for him that afternoon, along with a Sea Hawk rescue helicopter from Naval Air Station Fallon and personnel from the Inyo National Forest. The following morning additional search resources were requested, and the search continued with the support of four California Rescue Dog Association search dogs/handlers, plus members of the Inyo County Sheriff's Posse.
Mr. Butler was subsequently located early that morning after he contacted the caretaker at a private housing community at Walker Lake. He had taken a wrong fork in a trail while returning to the vehicle, and had spent the night approximately two miles northeast of the trailhead parking lot. He was uninjured and returned to San Diego with his hiking group. Responders were: Greene (Ops), Maroti, Brad Schilz, Carole Schilz, Boyd, Dodson, Gilbreath, Rushing, Hartstrom, Michalski, Davenport, Walker, Cogan, Bold, Holmquist, Schmidt, Corning, Weatherly, Pierce (Inyo), Day (Inyo), Durand (Carda), Smee (Carda), and Sheets (Cardo).
July 7, 2010. 10-376 #11. Ladislav Terek, 50, of Hayward, California was reported overdue from a backpacking trip around the Sawtooth Range, near Bridgeport. The SAR team was activated in unified command with Yosemite National Park, as his route traversed both jurisdictions. A National Guard helicopter was also dispatched. As the field teams were leaving base, Terek walked out. He had been turned around by extensive, late season snow at Mule Pass and had been slow in retracing his route to Twin lakes. Responders were: Holmquist (Ops), Rushing, Lemon, Dodson, Toussaint, Schilling, Carole Schilz, Brad Schilz, Pavlovsky, Gilbreath, Davenport, Barnum, Greene, and Corning.
July 7, 2010. 10-378 #12. Allen Updedraff, 67, of Houston Texas slipped on snow while backpacking across Donahue Pass, then slid into rocks and severely injured his shoulder. Another party was able to call for help via cell phone. Yosemite helicopter 551 flew in to the area through thunderstorms to attempt an extrication, and Mono SAR began to deploy a medical team by ground as a back-up to the helicopter. Other Mono SAR personnel were on standby for helicopter insertion in case the patient needed to be shuttled to a distant landing zone. The helicopter offloaded paramedics who walked the patient to the aircraft and then flew Updedraff to Crane Flat for further transport by ambulance. Responders were: Holmquist (Ops), Michalski, Pavlovsky, Greene, Corning, Gilbreath, Ackerman, Toussaint, and Salay.
Ops 10-384 - 16 year-old golden retriever named Toby needed a ride
July 11, 2010. 10-384 #13. Two friends from Mammoth Lakes, Dave Shelton and Randy Sly, went backpacking in the Convict Creek area south of Mammoth Lakes the weekend of July 10, 2010. While hiking out from their trip on Sunday they ran out of water, with Sly and an accompanying dog suffering from possible heat stroke.
Shelton hiked out to the Convict Lake marina and notified the Mono County Sheriff's Department. The Mono County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team was called out and were able to reach Sly quickly with fluids for both he and the dog.
After hydration, Sly and the team were able to walk out, but the dog, a 16 year-old golden retriever named Toby, was carried out using the team's wheeled litter due to his age, dehydration, and injuries to his paws. Responders were: Greene (Ops), Michalski, Rushing, Brad Schilz, Carole Schilz, Boyd, Cogan, Case, Maroti, Ackerman, and Walker.
July 15, 2010. 10-394 #14. Valerie Ice, 54, of Mammoth, planned to carry food supplies over Lamarck Col to backpackers hiking through Darwin Basin. The two parties did not meet as planned, and the backpackers hiked east over Lamarck Col and found Ice's empty campsite. The food supply was gone. The backpackers had cell phone signal, and alerted the Inyo County authorities who launched a SAR mission.
Mono SAR responded in mutual aid along with China Lake SAR and a National Guard helicopter. Ice was located in good condition near Lamarck Col late in the morning of 16 July by a climbing party that was also in the area. Responders were: Holmquist, Beck, and Rousek.
July 17, 2010. 10-397 #15. A 13 year old boy from Diamond Bar wandered away from his hiking group at the Sherwin Lakes on July 17. The Mono SAR team was activated, and search teams began to deploy in the area, but the boy was located soon thereafter by members of his group. Responders were: Holmquist (ops), Michalski, Carole Shilz, Brad Schilz, Schmidt, Case, Ackerman, Walker, and Maroti.
July 19, 2010. 10-402 #16. On Monday morning, July 19, 2010, Steve Rubenstein of Fayetteville, New York, called 911 to report his friend, Timothy Cushing of Pacifica, California, was suffering from a possible stroke. The two were backpacking in the Eastern Sierra and had stayed the night at the outlet of Iceberg Lake. That morning Cushing started experiencing stroke symptoms so Rubenstein began hiking out to the trailhead for help. He came across another group of backpackers who had a cell phone that was able to receive signal in the backcountry and called for help using their phone.
The Mono County Sheriff's Department called out the search and rescue team, and due to the remoteness of Cushing's location the team requested the help of the Yosemite National Park rescue helicopter. The helicopter was able to land near Cushing's campsite at the lake, and was able to transport him to a waiting ambulance at the Mariposa Airfield. He was taken to Modesto Memorial Hospital for treatment. Responders were: Greene (Ops), Holmquist, Brad Schilz, Carole Schilz, Walker, Pavlovsky, Salay, Robertson, Ackerman, Michalski, and Maroti.
July 21, 2010. 10-405 #17. Greg Vernon, 62, of Ridgecrest, California injured his left knee when kicking steps while descending a snowfield on the east slope of Mt. Ritter. He was unable to put weight on the knee. A companion used a cell phone to call 911 for assistance. Yosemite helicopter 551 was able to evacuate Mr. Vernon to Mammoth airport. County paramedics transported him to Mammoth Hospital. Responders were: DeGeorge (Ops), and Greene.
July 25, 2010. 10-414 #18. Horace Gates, 50, of Ridgecrest, CA, and friends from China Lake camped at 8971 feet near a tarn at the base of the east slope of Mt. Morrison, intending to climb the peak in the morning. He awoke feeling ill with vertigo, and the group requested help. The ground teams encountered Mr. Gates on the way in as he was being walked out by his companions. He declined medical aid, and safely descended to his vehicle. Responders were: Greene (Ops), Michalski, Boyd, Salay, Maroti, Scotese, and De George
July 31-August 1, 2010. 10-435 #19. Derrick Carbiener, 21, of Mckinleyville, California, was hiking with his father in the Shadow lake area west of Mammoth Lakes when he injured his ankle and knee. His SPOT device was activated, and the Team was called out to assist Carbiener in getting out of the backcountry. The Team was able to reach him the following morning, and transported him to the Agnew Meadows Trailhead using a wheeled litter. He was taken to Mammoth hospital for treatment. Responders were: Greene (Ops), Holmquist, Schmidt, Michalski, Corning, Pavolvsky, Ackerman, Boyd, Maroti, and O'Brian.
August
Ops 10-445 splinting injured knee
August 5, 2010. 10-445 #20. Miguel Lizaragga, 49, of Imperial, California, injured his knee while backpacking in Convict Canyon about two and a half miles above Convict Lake. The SAR team hiked in with a litter and wheel and transported him across the creek and down the trail to Convict Lake, where marina personnel assisted by ferrying him across the lake by boat. Responders were: DeGeorge (Ops), Holmquist, Schmidt, Corning, Walker, Barnum, Michalski, Beck, Hartstrom, and Pavlovsky.
August 5, 2010. 10-446 #21. Elizabeth Brown, 63, of Berkeley, California, became ill during a backpacking trip near Gem Lake. Some of the SAR team from the Convict Lake rescue were diverted to June Lake and began hiking in to assist her, but a CHP helicopter was able to land near the dam and transport her to Mammoth Hospital. Responders were: DeGeorge (Ops), Beck, and Hartstrom.
August 11, 2010. 10-463 #22. Robert Schultz, 60, of Lake Tahoe, California, was reported missing in the Saddlebag Lake area after he failed to return from a day hike to his camp with a group at Cascade Lake on Tuesday evening, August 10.
The SAR Team, along with a CHP helicopter, conducted a search. The steep terrain around the lake was searched by ground, air and with a K-9 unit. After a number of hours, the search teams found Mr. Schultz, deceased, near a steep rock wall west of the lake. Mr. Schultz was reported to have been a lead member of a ski patrol team from Lake Tahoe, an expert big wall climber and mountaineer who was familiar with the local area. The death is believed to be a result of a solo climber fall and is under investigation. Responders were: DeGeorge (Ops), Greene, Holmquist, Schmidt, Beck, Walker, Corning, Rushing, Case, Dodson, Ackerman, Robertson, Vetter, Weatherly, Michalski, and Barnum.
August 12, 2010. 10-468 #23. Jordan Eliades, 87, of Bakersfield, California, fell and struck his head on a rock while camping with family members at Sherwin Lake. The SAR Team was called out to help Eliades back to the trailhead for treatment. The team responded with their wheeled litter, and were able to transport him to the Sherwin Lake trailhead parking lot. A Mono County Paramedic unit transported him to Mammoth Hospital for treatment. Responders were: Greene (Ops), Dodson, Pavlovsky, Holmquist, Schmidt, Michalski, Barnum, Robinson, Lopez, Boyd, Beck, and Hartstrom.
August 14, 2010. 10-472 #24. Angie Ruiz, 19, and her mother, Sally Ruiz, 47, both of Anaheim, California, were hiking in the Horseshoe Lake area and became separated from their group. They wandered downhill on trails but became concerned because they saw only wilderness below them, yet were too exhausted to retrace their steps back uphill. The daughter called 911, and the SAR team was dispatched.
A tentative cell phone fix placed them on the Mammoth Pass Trail about halfway between Horseshoe Lake and Reds Meadow. Two hasty teams were sent in to the likely area with cold drinks, food, and umbrellas for shade. One team started at Horseshoe Lake and hiked downhill from Horseshoe Lake, and the other hiked uphill from Reds Meadow so as to increase the chances of locating the two hikers quickly.
A third team started hiking from Horseshoe Lake with more extensive medical equipment and a wheeled litter as a precaution. The mother and daughter were located in tired but good condition near the cell phone fix and were escorted downhill to Reds Meadow. Responders were: Holmquist (Ops), Greene, Brad Schilz, Michalski, Dodson, Boyd, Case, DeGeorge, Beck, and Weatherly.
August 15, 2010. 10-476 #25. Sunday morning, August 15, 2010, the Mono County Sheriff's department received a call from a family member of two backpackers who were in the Garnet Lake area. She had received an email notification generated by her family members' SPOT device that they were in need of help.
SPOT devices are small, handheld units that give persons the ability to send a help or emergency message by sending a signal to orbiting satellites. The SPOT company then forwards the messages to designated email address and/or rescue authorities.
The SAR Team was called out to determine what kind of help was needed. A California Highway Patrol helicopter from Fresno was requested, and the crew was able to determine that the backpackers were okay and had inadvertently pushed the "Need Help" button. Responders were: Greene (Ops), Holmquist, Schmidt, Boyd, Case, Rushing, Dodson, Michalski, Gilbreath, and DeGeorge.
August 15, 2010. 10-478 #26. Gus Axel-Chidsey, age 25, of San Francisco, California, suffered a possible broken leg while backpacking near Saddlebag Lake. The SAR team responded and assisted Inyo Forest Fire personnel, who were training in the area and had already begun a rescue effort. Saddlebag Lake Resort personnel also aided in the call by providing boat transportation across the lake. Mr. Axel-Chidsey was transported by his hiking partner to Mammoth Hospital. Responders were: Michalski (Ops), Holmquist, Schmidt, Beck, Rushing, Pavlovsky, and Boyd.
August 21, 2010. 10-494 #27. Matthew Preston, age 24, from Lake Wales, Florida was on the third day of a through-hike of the John Muir Trail when he injured his left ankle, and was unable to walk. The Team hiked in from the Agnew Meadows trailhead, evaluated Mr. Preston's condition, and evacuated him via wheeled litter. He declined medical aid or transport to a medical facility, and was transported to his personal vehicle at Tuolumne Meadows by a Team member. Responders were: Schmidt (Ops), Holmquist, Greene, Michalski, Corning, Scotese, Gilbreath, and Toussaint.
August 21-22, 2010. 10-496 #28. Diego Gonzalez, 44, of Studio City, and Henry MacAll, 35, of Mission Hills, left Mono Village on the morning of 21 August for a morning hike, planning to return to the trailhead by 1 PM. They were undecided as to whether they would try to climb Matterhorn Peak or just hike along the trail and then return. The two became separated on the trail within a half hour of their departure. MacAll first hiked back down the trail, then searched up canyon on the trail for several hours before returning to Mono Village in the early afternoon.
Gonzalez was reported overdue at 7:30 PM, and the SAR team was dispatched. A hasty team was sent to search Horse Creek Canyon, and another person was sent to serve as a trail block. Meanwhile, other resources were being coordinated for the following morning, including 10-15 ground searchers, three search dogs, and a National Guard helicopter. At 1:15 AM, the hasty team found Gonzalez slowly making his way down the trail without a light.
He had climbed some steep terrain on the other side of the canyon from Matterhorn Peak and become concerned about steep terrain and loose talus and scree. He stayed in place on the slope for about six hours until dusk when he began slowly walking downhill to the floor of the canyon and towards the trailhead. Responders were: Holmquist (Ops), Beck, Schmidt, Case, Barnum.
August 31, 2010. 10-521 #29. Dewayne Burt, 60, of Visalia, California, was hiking on the trail above Little Walker Lake when he lost his footing and fell thirty feet down a steep section of the hillside below the trail. His companion Jesse Shepard climbed down to him, finding that Burt had sustained abrasions and injuries to his left arm, and was weak with some respiratory distress. He was unable to climb back up the loose terrain to the trail, even with Shepard's aid.
Shepard then hiked out and drove to cell phone coverage and called 911. Lee Vining Fire and 9 SAR Team members responded, and evacuated Mr. Burt via wheeled litter. He was transported by Medic 2 to Mammoth Hospital. Responders were: Greene (Ops), DeGeorge, Robertson, Salay, Holmquist, Toussaint, Barnum, Brenninkmeyer, and Hartstrom.
September
September 2, 2010. 10-524 #30. Richard Gregory, 57, of Huntington Beach, began suffering symptoms of altitude sickness while backpacking with his wife in the Thousand Island Lake area. His wife called 911 on their cell phone, and the Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team was called out.
The Team requested the help of the California Highway Patrol helicopter based in Fresno due to Gregory's location in the backcountry. The Gregory's originally reported their location as being on the River Trail near Garnet Lake, but a Forest Service backcountry ranger was unable to locate them.
While re-contacting them on their cell phone, another backpacking group passed by their location, and they were able to borrow a global positioning system (GPS) device that showed their location as being approximately 1-1/2 miles north of their reported location. The helicopter was able to land near this location, and was able to transport Gregory and his wife to the Forest Service helipad in Mammoth Lakes. The reduction in altitude significantly helped his condition, and he did not require further medical treatment. Responders were: Greene (Ops), Michalski, Salay, Robertson, Ackerman, Barnum, Bold, Cogan, and DeGeorge.
September 9, 2010. 10-540 #31. Greg Leo, 62, of Fountain Valley, California, was part of a large guided group that was backpacking through the Thousand Island Lake area where he became disabled from severe abdominal pain. The SAR team responded and launched a ground medical team. Due to his potentially dangerous condition, the Sheriff's Office requested aid from Helicopter 551 from Yosemite National Park for immediate response. The helicopter landed very near the group, loaded the patient, and transported him to Mammoth Airport. Mono County paramedics transported him to Mammoth Hospital. Responders were: Holmquist (Ops), Greene, Brad Schilz, Carole Schilz, Dodson, Robertson, Pavlovsky, DeGeorge, and Toussaint.
September 11, 2010. 10-542 #32. Mike Arends, 59, went on a backpacking trip with friends in the Ten Lakes area of Yosemite National Park. Arends planned to return alone to the trailhead one day after his friends left their camp, but he was eventually reported overdue. Yosemite launched a search that included mutual aid ground and dog teams from many sources. Three days after his planned exit, Arends was spotted by a searching helicopter, which transported him to the search base. The backpacker had become disoriented immediately after leaving camp and had wandered east to Cathedral Creek. Responder: Holmquist
September 16, 2010. 10-558 #33. Robert and Nadine Durham, from Dragoon, Arizona, were flying to Lake Tahoe in a small helicopter after re-fueling in Bishop. The SAR team was called out at approximately 1845 for a report of an overdue Robinson R44 helicopter that was traveling from Bishop to Lake Tahoe. Approximately 4 hours earlier a subject had reported a smoke plume east of Bald Mountain, and forest service firefighters spent several hours looking for the burn area but did not locate anything as the smoke had ceased.
The SAR team and Forest Service personnel searched the area where the smoke was seen. At approximately 2200 Mr. Durham encountered a camper in the Taylor Creek area and was driven to the Benton Fire Station. He had walked approximately 10 miles to find help. The SAR team, Benton Fire, Lee Vining Fire and Medic units responded to the area with the assistance of Mr. Durham to attempt to locate Nadine Durham still at the crash site.
Durham was able to guide responding units to the crash site, where the subjects were treated by Medic units. Two Care Flight helicopters were requested, and landed at the crash site. They transported the victims to Renown Medical Center for treatment. Responders were: Greene (Ops), Holmquist, Schmidt, Bold, Gilbreath, Dodson, Salay, Pavlovsky, Ackerman, Barnum, Weatherly, Cogan, Carole Schilz, Walker, Michalski, Hartstrom, and Beck.
Click Here for map and Google Earth Images of crash site
September 20-21, 2010. 10-571 #34. Kyle Reisner, 22, of Mammoth Lakes was reported overdue from a day hike into the Ashley Lake area, west of Devils Postpile. The SAR team was called late on the night of the 20th. Planning was done through the night, and field teams were dispatched at first light the next morning. At 8:36 AM Reisner reached a ridge where he had cell service and made contact with SAR base.
It was determined that he was northwest of Beck Lakes, having become disoriented the day before and having wandered north and west of his intended hiking area, at times descending west of the Sierra Crest. He was directed by phone to the Beck Lakes where Mono ground teams and Yosemite Helicopter 551 converged on his location.
He was transported by Helo 551 to Mammoth Lakes. Reisner was tired, dehydrated, and hungry but was otherwise in good condition. Responders were: Holmquist (Ops), Schmidt, Dodson, Walker, Vetter, Carole Schilz, Toussaint, Corning, DeGeorge, Beck, and Pavlovsky.
Click Here For More Pictures
September 24, 2010. 10-573 #35. An injured backpacker at Crater Creek opted to rent pack stock to carry her out versus a litter carry. This decision was reached after the team was enroute. Responders were: DeGeorge (Ops), Schmidt, Holmquist, Scotese, Boyd, and Dodson.
September 26, 2010. 10-579 #36. Robert Strong, 57, of Bishop, fell off a footbridge while hiking near South Lake and injured his leg. Inyo County requested assistance, and the Mono County SAR team was dispatched. Inyo and Mono SAR units transported a litter and wheel to the patient and packaged him for cross-country transport. One short low-angle lowering was necessary enroute. Strong was transferred by SAR to a waiting boat on South Lake and then to Symons Ambulance for ultimate transport to Northern Inyo Hospital. Responders were: Holmquist, Schmidt, Dodson, Pavlovsky, and Greene.
September 27-28, 2010. 10-582 #37. Frédéric Bourgault, 37, crashed his paraglider at 11,200', about two miles west of White Mountain Research Station's Barcroft Laboratory near Barcroft Peak. The patient was spotted from the air by a passing aircraft. Bourgault was visibly tangled in his equipment and was waving his arms.
Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue was dispatched. Cell contact was made with the patient, who reported severe back pain and difficulty moving. Search and Rescue units began driving to Barcroft, and a Care Flight helicopter was dispatched. Care Flight was unable to attempt an extrication due to darkness, altitude, and steep terrain, and a night-vision helicopter unit was requested from Fallon Naval Air Station.
White Mountain Research Station opened its facilities to the SAR team, and base was established at the Barcroft Lab with support from WMRS personnel. A hasty team including an EMT began hiking to the reported crash location, carrying medical equipment, a full-body vacuum splint, and oxygen. Following teams carried a wheeled litter and additional medical supplies to the site.
The Fallon helicopter spotted the patient from the air and landed nearby. The first SAR ground team met the Navy Corpsmen at the patient, and assisted them in loading Bourgault on a backboard and moving him to a safer location. After burning off excess fuel, the helicopter hoisted the patient and transported him to Bishop airport, where a Symons ambulance transported him to Northern Inyo Hospital.
The Fallon ship then returned for the Corpsmen, and the SAR units hiked back up to the Barcroft Lab. The patient had multiple vertebral fractures and was immediately transferred from Northern Inyo Hospital to Stanford. Responders were: Holmquist (Ops), Schmidt, Scotese, Pavlovsky, Dodson, Michalski, Barnum, Greene, Boyd, and Beck. Off-duty Cal-trans personnel Weirmann, Hartmann, and Kuykendall assisted Scotese with 4WD transport.
Click Here for an interesting blog post about this operation
October
October 2-3, 2010. 10-589 #38. Mark Florant, from Palo Alto, California, injured a knee from a fall at Upper Lamarck Lake in Inyo County. The Mono County team responded to a request for mutual aid from the Inyo team to aid in a carryout of the victim. Mr. Florant was evacuated to the North Lake trailhead via wheeled litter. It was an all-nighter in the rain. Responders were: Greene, Holmquist, Scotese, Schmidt, Pavlovsky, and Dodson.
October 6-7, 2010. 10-599 #39. Tom Alden, 70, of Truckee, was reported as being overdue from a five-day backpacking trip in the Virginia Canyon to Saddlebag Lake area during an early winter storm. Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue and Yosemite National Park launched a unified command search for the hiker on the afternoon of the 6th, staging out of the USFS Lee Vining Ranger Station.
Five Mono ground teams were sent on hasty searches in the Saddlebag, Virginia, and Lundy Canyon areas on the evening of the 6th. Planning for the 7th was done through the night. On the morning of the 7th, Mono ground teams began hiking into the Saddlebag and Green Lake areas, and a Yosemite ground team hiked up Cold Canyon. Later in the morning Yosemite ground teams and dog teams from Calaveras County were inserted into the Virginia Canyon area by Yosemite helicopter 551.
Early in the afternoon, the team in the Green Lake area located Alden near Summit Pass. He had waited for the storm to clear for several days and eventually began to hike out along his access route. Alden was exhausted from hiking through deep snow but was otherwise in good condition. Responders were: Holmquist (Ops), DeGeorge, Schmidt, Vetter, Hartstrom, Beck, Pavlovsky, Salay, Thompson, Walker, Cogan, Scotese, Corning, Michalski, Ackerman, Maroti, Brenninkmeyer, Dodson, Toussaint, Brad Schilz, Greene, and Hall.
October 13, 2010 - Litter Training
October 16, 2010. 10-613 #40. A female climber in the Owens Gorge believed that she was being lowered off a route, but she was apparently not on belay, and fell 130 feet followed by an additional fall of 40 feet. A nearby CalFire unit responded along with LADWP personnel and Mono County Sheriff deputies. Symons paramedics and Mono County SAR were dispatched.
Symons was able to drive within 50 yards of the patient with the assistance of DWP. The patient, who reported severe back and leg pain, was backboarded and stabilized. The CDF crew was able to do the short carry to the vehicles. Mono SAR arrived on scene and was simultaneously canceled. Responders were: Holmquist (Ops), Schmidt, Greene, Case, Brenninkmeyer, Brad Schilz, Carole Schilz, French (nee Pavlovsky), Michalski, Barnum, Maroti, and Cogan.
November
November 10, 2010 - Snowmobile Orientation Training
November 15-17, 2010 - Wilderness First Aid/Wilderness First Responder Training
November 20-21, 2010. 10-657 #41. Patrick Toon, 47, of Bishop, was hiking up the low trail in Jeffrey Mine Canyon to the Champion mine with two companions. He attempted to shortcut up the large wash in the canyon and became stuck on a steep section on the side of the gully and spent the night out stranded in the wash.
The next day after his companions reported the situation, 9 SAR Team members responded to search for Mr. Toon. Ground teams were able to hike to Toon's location, where he complained of back pain and told them he thought he injured his back from falling down the wash an unknown distance. Toon was packaged in a litter, and the Team conducted a low angle lowering to evacuate him from the wash. He was transported to the Ranger ATV at the trail head by wheeled litter and transferred to Symons Ambulance. Responders were: Greene (Ops), DeGeorge, (Ops), Holmquist, Schmidt, Case, Boyd, French, Beck, and Michalski.
November 21, 2010, 10-658 #42. Bret Walker of Long Beach and Alan McAuley of Huntington Beach, intermediate snowmobile riders, headed out from the cinder shed with a single sled on a fresh powder day. After getting stuck several times during the day they found themselves once again stuck as darkness fell in near white out/blizzard conditions with 40 to 50 MPH winds. They became disorientated and had no confidence about where they were and how to return to the cinder shed and called 911 for help. Coordinates from their phone application enabled the Team to accurately locate and evacuate them within an hour's time. Responders were: Vetter (Ops), Schilling, and Corning.
November 22, 2010. LAW-2010-3059 #43. Rick Gentry, 55, of Reno, Nevada, went snowshoeing on the afternoon of November 21, but was caught in a severe snowstorm while lightly dressed and was unable to navigate in the whiteout conditions. He climbed Peak 8406 and was able to get sufficient reception to call for help.
Washoe County launched a search that evening that continued day and night for the next several days and throughout storm conditions. Search and rescue units responded from as far away as Auburn and Inyo. Some of his equipment was located near the summit of the peak from which he had called; these items included his pack and snowshoes, one of which had a running shoe attached. Mono personnel assisted in searching dense brush at the summit during the night of the 22nd. The search has now been suspended. Responder: Holmquist.
December
December 6, 2010. 10-673 #44. On December 4, 2010, Ho and Wong were exploring the area around Mono Lake and Dry Creek. They were driving in Ho's Subaru Forester. While crossing the intersection of USFS road 3S12 and 3S41, their vehicle became stuck in the snow at the bottom of an incline. They were unable to free the high centered vehicle. Additional snow fell during the night. They camped where they were stuck until December 5, 2010.
Ho walked to an area where he could get cell phone coverage then phoned 911 for help. Lee Vining Tow responded to the area but was unable to locate the stuck vehicle. The tow truck had to chain up in order to exit the area. On the morning of December 6, 2010, the SAR team was dispatched to the area. The Team was able to locate and evacuate Ho and Wong by snowmobile. The snow was too deep to drive the vehicle out. Neither were injured or needed any medical attention. Responders were: DeGeorge (Ops), Greene, Schmidt, and Holmquist.
December 8, 2010 - Lake Ice Rescue classroom after meeting training and December 9, 2010 - Lake Ice Rescue field training.
December 12, 2010 - Avalanche Transeiver Training
Jeff Holmquist and Jutta Schmidt receive their awards as Lifetime Members
Rick Dodson receiving Rick Mosher Candidate Member Award
At the annual End Of The Year Awards Party on December 13, the team bestowed its highest honor of Lifetime Member upon Jutta Schmidt and Jeff Holmquist.
Their extraordinary commitment to search and rescue leads this couple to each volunteer more than 1,000 hours per year to the team's missions and readiness.
In the past 10 years, Schmidt has participated in 620 team events (266 search and rescue missions, 185 training events, and 169 meetings). She is the current team President.
Team Vice President Holmquist has participated in 767 team events (345 search and rescue missions, 262 training events, and 160 meetings).
In addition, the team gave two annual awards to honor members who have excelled.
Dan Corning receiving Pete Schoerner Rescue Member Award
The Pete Schoerner Rescue Member of the Year for 2010 is Dan Corning. The board member has been on the team since 2006 and has been involved in 66 rescues. He has a wide variety of mountaineering and medical skills, and is one of the team's key players in all types of missions.
The team awarded Rick Dodson the Rick Mosher Candidate Member Award for 2010 for his active and faithful participation in both training and rescue operations; he quickly advanced to Rescue Member status.
December 23, 2010. 10-708 #45. Brian Eaton, age 29, from Laguna Beach, California, became separated from friends while snowboarding in the Fresno Bowl area of Mammoth Mountain. The friends lost cell phone contact with him at approximately 3:30 PM. Sheriff Dispatch was notified at dark.
The SAR Team begain a search on the West side of Mammoth Mountain based on the point last seen and location data received from his cell phone provider. The Team located Mr. Eaton in the lower Fresno Bowl area, cold and hungry, but not injured. The Team escorted him to Reds Meadows where SAR Team snowmobiles transported him to Main Lodge. Responders were: Greene (Ops), Schilling, Dodson, Holmquist, Schmidt, Thompson, and Hartstrom.