Re: Another helicopter rescue

Sam, thanks for the report, it was great seeing you doing at the springs. I ended up on a surprise visit there myself. I had planned to go hiking in the area with some other folks but I blew a tire coming over the Cajon pass. Fortunately, I was able to reduce speed and pull over before I did any damage to the rim. However, after changing it I had to stop in Hesperia to buy a couple of new tires so all in all I lost about an hour an a half, so the other party decided to hike in and wait at the springs. Once we met up there, we felt it was a little hot to continue our hike, so we spent the day at the springs themselves.

As Sam points out, once again the County of San Bernardino Sheriff's Department Helicopter was called in for a rescue. It caught us all at the springs by surprise as we had no reports of anyone stuck on the trail. Of course the last visitors had hiked along the ridge and then straight down the MOFO hill, while the stranded hiker was on the trail round the back side of MOFO very close to the same spot the previous hiker was. It was a couple and the woman that needed rescuing was in her mid twenties and about average build. She was complaining of headaches, nausea and fatigue and did not feel she could make it up to the ridge, so they choose to lower a basket, we helped her in, strapped her inside and then she and the paramedic were hoisted back up. Her companion continued his hike up to Bowen Ranch in order to drive round and meet her at the hospital.
I agree with Sam that the entire helicopter crew showed considerable expertise to pull off this rescue in spite of the prevailing winds. It did take them a short while to be able to get the cable over to where the basket was and be able to pull it up, but the whole operation was very well executed.

I agree with Sam that if she was not feeling well at the springs it was a bad call to try and hike out in the heat of the day, she would have done better staying in the shade and hiking out around six or seven p.m. The disadvantage of having cell phone reception close to the springs is that we will probably see many more of these calls; while in the past people would just have to wait till later. Of course the Green Tortoise had all there people hike out on the heat of the day as well. Hopefully, these incidents will not lead to closing the springs.