Hikers Stuck in Eaton Canyon Wash Overnight
Three hikers were airlifted to the Huntington Memorial Hospital on Sunday after they did not return from a hike on Saturday.
Two hikers were airlifted to the Huntington Memorial Hospital Sunday afternoon after they were found somewhere in the upper falls area of Eaton Canyon, according to Lt. Joe Dempsey of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Altadena Station.
In addition one hiker was walked out by members of the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team as well as the Montrose search and rescue team, according to Dempsey.
The hikers who were airlifted were exhausted but uninjured, according to Lt. Jacobs, of the Sheriff's Department, but they were taken to the hospital to be examined.
The group had taken off from the Mt. Wilson area on Saturday with the intention of rappeling down the falls and walking out through Eaton Canyon - they brought the necessary equipment with them, according to Jacobs.
However, they did not get down on Saturday night, and on Sunday morning one of the family members called the station, she said.
The team spent a good portion of the morning trying to find out where they were and were ultimately able to locate them, Jacobs said.
Editor's note: The initial version of this story said that three hikers were airlifed rather than two.
Laura Monteros
9:03 pm on Sunday, August 21, 2011
The Sheriff's Dept. has a hiking plan form that people can fill out and leave with a friend or relative, so they can be easily located in case they do not return on schedule. It could even be scanned and emailed. I've posted it at Google Docs, here: http://bit.ly/hikingplan
Dan Abendschein
8:21 am on Monday, August 22, 2011
Thanks for the link Laura. It's a good idea, and even if people are not using this form, they really need to do this. I used to be a little lazy about this especially when doing very routine hikes but now I just write my wife an email before I go with all the pertinent info. Very easy, yet extremely important.
Pamela
10:03 am on Monday, August 22, 2011
Lorraine, I agree with you 100%!
And
Lisa, yes these rescues are becoming a major nuisance.
JosephR
12:13 pm on Monday, August 22, 2011
Thanks for posting. Mountain rescue is part of living in mountains. It sounds as if this group came down from Henniger Flats on a rappel trip. Groups have spent extra night on trips/excursions since time began, these guys don't sound unprepared (unlike the CalTech Page house pledges in 2006), just delayed. It makes sense to make camp once the sun sets. Their family made call after they didn't make it out by next morning. Before cell phones, we'd give people til noon the next day before worrying too much. If we want to stop pulling deceased hikers out of the upper canyon, we need warning signs and rope/cables for exposed scrambles on razorback trail to upper falls; county can't install for due to liability however these shouldn't be removed if placed by private hikers.
Lisa Hastings
9:58 pm on Sunday, August 21, 2011
These rescues are becoming a major public nuisance.
Gary Edwards
12:34 pm on Monday, August 22, 2011
in what way are they a major public nuisance? more helicopter noise?
Linda Stinson
5:53 am on Tuesday, August 23, 2011
When something happens to you or your family should the rescue people leave you alone because YOU are a public nuisance? These were human beings in trouble. I think you either forgot this, or simply don't care because it was not your loved one.
Tim
7:24 am on Monday, August 22, 2011
This is a good example how lame people are in LA and how much tax money is spent on stupid people I didn't see a sign
Gary Edwards
12:53 pm on Monday, August 22, 2011
shocked if this doesn't cost as much as people think.
all i read on the mtn rescue posts are "our tax money is going to waste". you think our taxes will go down if they do less rescues? you think agencies will send unused $ elsewhere?
Mark Fitzsimmons
7:21 pm on Monday, August 22, 2011
Wow. I was going to say, "having equipment is not the same as being equipped to use it," but my sentiment is superseded by your eloquent post. No words are adequate. You said quite a mouthful there. Did you hike out on the trail or rappel the canyon to exit? I have done Eaton from the top and it's one of the toughest. Not necessarily because of the rappels, but because it's a very hard hike in the boulder strewn river bed.
Lisa Hastings
9:17 pm on Monday, August 22, 2011
I am a language and linguistics freak, so allow me offer my analysis of jamie's post: It is a fake! The spelling and grammar errors are forced and contrived. Usually, when a person has difficulty with grammar and spelling, their spelling errors follow a consistent pattern. jamie's posts are inconsistently incorrect and contain phrases with no grammar or spelling errors.
Jodi Cruse
10:54 pm on Monday, August 22, 2011
I've had about enough of this. First of all, Jamie is NOT a fake, no matter what kind of freak you are, linguistics or otherwise. Second, I know this for a fact because my son was one of the other hikers. My son, who you have been calling an idiot and stupid, who you said has no right to put these rescue workers in danger, is an EX-MARINE. You know, the United States Marine Corps? You may have heard of them, the guys who put their lives on the line to protect EVERYONE in this country? You are the type of people who cause the real problems in this country- making crack judgements on subjects you don't know CRAP about. Just so you know, this type of situitation is EXACTLY what emergency services are for- EMERGENCYS. These guys are not inexperienced teenagers- they actually give you pretty good survival training in the US MILITARY. They were not drinking and being stupid- THEY HAD AN UNEXPECTED EMERGENCY. Someone got sick and was unable to keep up, slowed the others down, and instead of trying to make their way in unfamiliar territory at night, they waited until first light. SMART. Maybe if you got off your fat rear ends and actually went out and HAD a life apart from dumping on strangers on the computer, you might understand how problems arise. Oh, and Lorraine, I hope if you ever have any problems you find you need help with, I truly hope you get faced with someone with as much patience and compassion as you claim to have. I hope you and Lisa have a LOVELY evening. JERKS.
Linda Stinson
6:05 am on Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Listen "FREAK" you sit up on your soap box declaring just how brilliant you think you are. If you are such a spelling freak why do you not know that proper names start with a capital letter? Shot you down in a heartbeat! With that, just who do you think you are to judge someone just by their language or grammer? Do you not think these people were so distraught that this was the best they could do? Go back to school miss scholar and learn proper language before you sit in judgement of someone else.
Dan Abendschein
10:11 pm on Monday, August 22, 2011
Sometimes the details we get about a rescue are not correct on the first pass. I'll check back in tomorrow to see if I can get more detailed information to see whether this information is correct or not.
JosephR
6:16 am on Tuesday, August 23, 2011
I'm with the hikers here. Scout handbook covers this scenario. Make camp, secure injured, go for help when safe. As for danger of spiders and coyotes (not to mention lions and bears), its not all that bad out in the wilderness. Heck, Lewis and Clark made it across the country without losing a soul. I purify summer water but never got ill drinking during strong flows. I know others who have and giardia would be no fun while hiking so filters or chlorine are good friends up river. Will someone delete Chuck's post. I hear his emotion but his words cross lines of decency.
Linda Stinson
6:37 am on Tuesday, August 23, 2011
You people seem to forget that rescue workers choose to be just that. You talk about how these hikers put others in danger by the rescuers doing their jobs. They were not drafted into these jobs. They were not forced into them either. but they simply are doing what they chose to do. You keep putting the hikers down for having an emergency.Should the rescue team merely have left them there ? Should they have said "to hell with those guys?" For people like Lorraine and Lisa, if your house is on fire should fire fighters leave you there to burn to death? If you are in a car accident should the paramedics not save your life? Should the police not help when your child is missing or someone is robbing you? Should our military not protect you on our shores or foreign ones? We have very skilled people in our country who are taught to save and protect lives. ALL lives. They (thank God) do not take the time to decide who they want to sit and make judgements on or who they want to help. I feel bad for all of you who have tried to make these men feel like they did something wrong. Just remember if any of you ever have a problem that you will be calling for some kind of a rescue worker. I would hate to be one of you freaks who has nothing better in their lives than to look for ways to take people down.Who could ever live up to your standards? You have all missed the point! These men were rescued and are safe. Good luck to them and many thanks to the rescuers.
Lisa Hastings
7:23 am on Tuesday, August 23, 2011
I am so happy to see that our Altadena foothills are enjoyed by so many unselfish and reasonable outdoor enthusiasts who respect the environment, respect their abilities, our limited public resources, our local Altadena Search and Rescue Team, and most of all, respect the residents of Altadena.
Dan Abendschein
2:05 pm on Tuesday, August 23, 2011
I've been able to go back and check the information and have confirmed that only two of the three hikers were airlifted. The story has been changed. My apologies for the initial information being incorrect.