Dec. 5th, 2010: 'Experienced' hiker missing on Baldy

He219 · Post by **He219** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:23 am

ABC says 51 year old female training for South America, Aconcagua I take it. Driving red Prius, hope she stays safe tonight in the storm.
Search continuing. Anybody we know?
Hunker down and hold tight!

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?secti ... id=7826788

simonov · Post by **simonov** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:29 am

Yikes! I think Cindy Abbott is 51 and I believe she is planning a second Aconcagua bid this year or next.

If it was her, I would expect the news people to have mentioned her successful Everest summit this year.

norma r · Post by **norma r** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:45 am

prayers.

He219 · Post by **He219** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:14 am

simonov wrote: ↑Yikes! I think Cindy Abbott is 51 and I believe she is planning a second Aconcagua bid this year or next.
.

That's right, she's 51 and broke both feet on Aconcagua.
Last time I saw Cindy was Everest BC.

simonov · Post by **simonov** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:24 am

Over on Summitpost they are saying the missing hiker is Korean. So it's not Cindy.

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 8:11 am

Cindy Abbott hiked Baldy on Saturday with a group and gave a presentation that evening at the Tustin REI. She was posting yesterday on the WPS Message Board.

simonov · Post by **simonov** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 8:23 am

AlanK wrote: ↑Cindy Abbott hiked Baldy on Saturday with a group and gave a presentation that evening at the Tustin REI. She was posting yesterday on the WPS Message Board.

Nice to see she is active on WPS.

When she posted on Summitpost a few months ago, all the self-important assholes there gave her a ration of shit for climbing Everest. So she left.

EVEREST? BAH, IT'S ONLY FOR POSERS!
\

REAL MEN CLIMB BOULDERS!
\

He219 · Post by **He219** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 8:27 am

Not Cindy, they were at the Charger game yesterday.
Checked with her husband.. She went up on Sat.

Hope all is well with whoever it is!

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 8:28 am

simonov wrote: ↑When she posted on Summitpost a few months ago, all the self-important assholes there gave her a ration of shit for climbing Everest. So she left.

Ain't self-importance wonderful? It is nice to see people of all kinds on this board go at it without that crap.

mve · Post by **mve** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:22 am

Search continues for missing hiker in Mount Baldy area

(CNS) Posted Monday December 6, 2010 - 9:21am
A search was continuing today for an experienced hiker from Los Angeles County who has been missing since Saturday in the Mount Baldy area, authorities said.

Michelle Yu, 49, went hiking on Saturday, and was reported missing on Sunday afternoon, Jodi Miller of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said.

On Sunday, searchers found Yu's vehicle parked near Mount Baldy Road and Falls Road, Miller said. Yu is an experienced hiker, but normally does not go out for overnight excursions, Miller said.

lilbitmo · Post by **lilbitmo** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:57 am

There was 14 of us hiking together on Saturday, Cindy included, I do not recall seeing a solo Asian female hiker. We were down by 2 PM and there were at least 20 other groups on the mountain that day. Conditions were very icy as it was windy with spindrift and faint but fresh drissel snow which was falling near the end of the our hike. Some folks turned around halfway across the base of the bowl because they did not have proper equipment.

Let's all hope she made it through the night, it was bad last night.

My prayers are with her.

TracieB · Post by **TracieB** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 1:20 pm

I do recall passing a solo female asian hiker at the creek crossing above the ski hut as we were heading down. I've headed off the summit in the wrong direction more than once in the snow. It's easy to do

Conditions were icy above the rock garden. I hope she is found safe.

edit: just read that she was planning to take the devil's backbone trail down to the ski lift.

Bad conditions for that on Saturday.

He219 · Post by **He219** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:43 pm

No updates on missing hiker Michelle Yu's status?!
Second night, not good.

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:57 pm

No updates AFAIK. Tonight will be the third night. SBSAR tweeted a few hours ago that the search was continuing overnight and into tomorrow.

On KCAL-9, they showed footage of someone getting airlifted out. This was the searcher that broke his ankle but KCAL-9 is reporting that that person was not official SAR but from the Korean hiking club out looking for her.

Her family is apparently in Oregon and is flying down. She also has a daughter studying abroad in Italy and has been notified. Witnesses say she was wearing a heavy down jacket so here's hope she's still okay.

mattmaxon · Post by **mattmaxon** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:43 am

Still No Sign of Missing Hiker near Mt. Baldy
Michelle Yu was not dressed for the winter weather that hit the area.

http://www.ktla.com/ktla-mt-baldy-missi ... 9359.story

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 4:32 pm

I hope they're checking the north side.

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 4:41 pm

Zach wrote: ↑I hope they're checking the north side.

I'm sure they are. It is easy to head down Baldy in any number of wrong directions in bad weather and the SAR folks know this from bitter experience.

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 4:45 pm

Ugh, my stomach lurches when I think about all the scenarios. I really hope they find her soon!

JEFFSCOF · Post by **JEFFSCOF** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 4:57 pm

Zach I know what you mean I didn't want to post anything but I've been praying ever since I've found out but if you do the logic thinking in your head it doesn't look good. She is a Baldy regular so I doubt she got lost. She most likely fell somewhere, I'm only hoping her fall was not fatal and she is hunkered down soemewhere. If she fell and she cannot walk she can probally make it one more maybe two more days.
It sucks becuase we all share the same passion which makes us a family even if you never met the person.....
yeti

AW~ · Post by **AW~** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 5:01 pm

By Monday night, crews had looked for Yu near Baldy Peak, Devils backbone, San Antonio Falls, San Antonio Wash and Good Canyon area, Miller said.

Volunteers also checked the back side of Lytle Creek on off-road vehicles up to the Mt. Baldy area.

About 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Yu signed the log book at the Sierra Hut Trail Head. She planned to hike to Baldy Peak then come down the mountain to Baldy Notch, where she would take the ski lift back to her vehicle, officials said.

Yu comes to the Mt. Baldy area every Saturday for a day hike, Miller said, and has taken that route several times before.

http://www.sbsun.com/breakingnews/ci_16 ... z17TbnVauD

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 5:19 pm

Yeah, not only that area but that entire saddle and draw between Baldy and Dawson.

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 8:17 pm

Really getting worried. I thought they would have found her by today after two days of good weather.

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 11:23 pm

I for sure hope she didn't go over the side along the DBB. C'mon, Michelle, hang in there and get found.

HJ

norma r · Post by **norma r** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 6:26 am

this breaks my heart. wish i could help. i'm stuck in a work training session that i scheduled. i cannot leave. otherwise i'd be up there. continued prayers for Michelle and her family.

Dave G · Post by **Dave G** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 8:44 am

While it pains my heart to think of another hiker suffering in the mountains we love so much, I would strongly discourage anyone going up there and searching on their own. As frustrating as it is watching from the sidelines, the best hope for Michelle is to stay out of the way and let the SAR folks do their thing. They are well-trained for a multitude of search/rescue/recovery scenarios and attempting to "help" them usually slows down the process.

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:11 am

Ken Murray had a good comment on this subject on the WPS Board

this question often comes up. As I have seen the discussions go, outside help is STRONGLY discouraged, sometimes to the point of arresting people.

The reason is that searches end up becoming very methodical explorations of terrain, in which clues are sought, and resources are allocated based upon clues found. The look is for "footprints" (actual or metaphorical). When a bunch of us well meaning amateurs go into an area, we usually eradicate all sign of anyone who has passed, and we don't have the training to recognize the disturbed ground, the snapped twig, the slide in the snow that has filled in.

Plus, in technical terrain, well-meaning people who are not skilled, get hurt/lost/exhausted/etc....and end up pulling resources away from the actual search.

We make it harder.

The SAR's know what they are doing, they know what they need, they know how to get help, and are best left to do what they are best at doing.

lik2hik · Post by **lik2hik** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:04 pm

Sad news if this is true:

SB Sheriffs believe they found her body near fish Fork.

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-m ... 5976.story

So very very sad.

norma r · Post by **norma r** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:29 pm

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:56 pm

Oh man

Anyone who's been up there lately know if there was snow/ice on the north side of Baldy? Fish Fork is way, way, way down there.

Post by **HikeUp** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 10:37 pm

The report on KTLA 10 o'clock news showed some woman pointing on a map to where they found her at 7900' on the north side of Baldy. This ACME map shows approximately where the woman was pointing at on the map in the report.