August 12-13, 2015. 15-521 #26 At 7 PM on Wednesday, during the monthly Team meeting, the SAR team responded to the report of an overdue hiker. A 45 year old woman from Mammoth had not returned from a hike as expected in the Convict Lake Area. The team dispatched two hasty teams, one of which spent the night in the field, tracking, and interviewing backpackers at their camps.
The next morning additional teams were sent into the field in addition to CHP Helicopter H40 from Fresno assisting in the search. The hiker eventually walked out on her own Thursday morning, after encountering hikers at Ram Lake who helped keep her warm and nourished during the night.
In the morning, she enlisted assistance from a horse pack group to call her husband and report that she was okay and walking out to Coldwater campground. After becoming disoriented and losing her way, she hiked over 20 miles, much of it cross country, climbing over 6300 feet, crossing a high ridge above Franklin Lake, and finishing 1500 feet higher than she started 30 hours earlier. Responders were: Vetter (Ops), Corning, DeGeorge, Gilbreath, Barnum, Cucura, Case, Jon Hall, Guffey, Thompson, Beck, Carole Schilz, Brad Schilz, Holt, and Greene.
Ops15_521 - Estimated route in dark blue taken by subject
Ops15_521 - Profile of estimated route taken by subject