EISPIRATEN

So I set up with my group to climb mount San Jacinto for my Birthday yesterday when we were notified and asked by SAR and Park Rangers to look for a hiker that had gone missing in the Wilderness.


They posted this pic of Richard Harper, snapped while exiting the tram upon arrival. Not much clothing to see ..

Search and Rescue were fanned out all over the mountain with a helo searching around the summit.
We were told he separated from his group and never made it back to his car.

It was cold up there, windy and around 30 degrees in the morning. I figured his best odds were to make some shelter from the overnight freeze, yada whatever survival instincts goes through one's mind.

Then the helo spotted the smoke from his signal fire anound 11AM. He had fallen down into the Snow Creek side and made some sort of a signal fire that rapidly turned into a small brush fire in the wind. Fire spotter planes circled all afternoon to keep an eye on the area and they must have gotten it under control very quickly.

They extracted him on the helo in relatively good shape.

Here's the news link to the story ..

Thanks for the link to the news story. They report that temps were "sub zero." I think they mean below freezing (or maybe they're on the Celsius scale).

Thanks also for the photo of the missing poster. All interesting.

There's quite a bit more info, including a posting by an RMRU member on the San Jacinto message board. http://www.palm-springs-photography.com ... .php?t=521

Hikin_Jim wrote:Thanks for the link to the news story. They report that temps were "sub zero." I think they mean below freezing (or maybe they're on the Celsius scale)

With the wind chill it actually was that cold on the peak in the morning.
The Ranger I ran into told me just that; 'zero degrees and very windy on the summit'.

I got to the summit later in the day and it was a lot better, probably around freezing.

The Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit will soon have the full story.
http://www.rmru.org/missions/2007/2007-022.html
There were helicopters overhead while we were hiking up the Skyline trail.
They were looking there as well.

Here are a couple of photos and more news. Its amazing how far down Snow Creek he went before starting to record his last will and testament.

"Multiple spider bites" ... yikes!

I've had plenty of mosquito bites ... but spiders???

While it could possibly be spider bites, I'm reading press reports of this incident with a lot of skepticism. They've already reported that Mt. San Jacinto is 8400' elevation and has a tram to the top. They've also reported that Richard was interrupted by the light of a helicopter while video recording his last will and testament; Richard was found during daylight hours. They also report that he contracted liver disease from the water in the Snow Creek drainage.

I don't think so.

Good thing about going down Snow Creek is how easy it would be to follow.

Glad this dude is OK. Guess it just wasn't his day, or two. Better luck next time.

Here is a follow up editorial by the Desert Sun. It seems like Richard managed to climb below the cliff at approxmately 5500 feet but then had the fire below him when the helicopter arrived. Search and Rescue dont wand the hiker billed for fear of them hiding to avoid paying rescue costs.
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... 04/opinion