At 1600 hrs he dug a snow cave for the night.  He heard 40-King but it was clouded in and could not see them. 40-King at first could not search the area between 8,000 and 10,500 ft due to clouds, so we were gearing up for a long search with 10 assignments that needed about 30 to 40 searchers. 40-King tried one more time before the end of their shift, after the summmit briefly cleared of clouds, and saw our subject with his headlamp waving. They picked him up and brought him down to Cow Canyon Saddle at about 2230 hrs, ending the mission on a happy note.  

Our subject was very smart and stayed put, instead of heading down into any direction off the mountain, since he had no idea where he was.  We have had several lost hikers in the past in the same conditions who have actually travelled west and north, going deeper into the wilderness of Fish Fork and Iron Mtn.

There are 19 fully-accredited MRA teams in California, so scheduling the tests is an exercise in organization. West Valley SAR and the Cave Team were on the same track. We began the day with an ELT search followed by a patient care scenario at the "crash site". The Cave Team's ELT plot from the day is shown below. For each team there were two evaluators. One evaluator accompanied the team in the field and the other evaluator assessed the command post crew.

View MRA ELT Plot in a larger map

The rest of the morning was spent on a grid search, where teams were scored on their technique and the number of items found.

After a quick lunch our search and tracking exercise began. We were given a bit of information on our missing hiker that included the last known point (LKP). Once we received this information we had to spool up the CP and deploy teams.

View Cave Search Map in a larger map

The Cave Team deployed a team to the LKP to cut for sign and a "hasty team" to quickly search high-probability trails. After these teams entered the field we were provided a shoeprint from our missing subject on a sheet of aluminum foil. This did not photograph well, so we sketched it and made it part of the paperwork for subsequent teams. We were able to email the sketch to field teams about the same time that they came across a possible print. The field team was able to snap a photo with a cell phone, and the CP was able to confirm that the track was, indeed, the missing person's. The direction of travel was established, and further resources were deployed. After nearly 2 hours from our briefing, we located our subject.

Under an awning to avoid the rain, the day ended with our evaluators reviewing our performance and offering suggestions as to our techniques and methods. Evaluators checked for medical techniques, command post protocol, tracking methods, and how field teams and managers responded to unexpected events. In all, it is a comprehensive evaluation, and one of the most beneficial exercises that our team does each year.

Having outside observers evaluate your performance as a team is key to maintaining your team's readiness. My team's proficiency has improved steadily since initiating the MRA accreditation process nearly 10 years ago. I would highly recommend it to other teams. Full accrediation is not a simple matter, but I guarantee that your team will improve as a result. If your team is interested in pursuing MRA accreditation, feel free to contact me at any time with questions.

Please give me a call if you plan on attending so that we know how many snacks and refreshments will be needed. 

Lt. Paterson is hoping that he will have the opportunity to meet as many of our volunteers and department personnel as possible. I hope that you will join us in welcoming him.

View Snowboarders Jan 2010 in a larger map

After regrouping, I was put on a team with John Metzger, John Norman, Dave Bullock, Trevor Walton, and Rico Gallardo.  We drove up the snow covered 4x4 road as far as we could go without chains.  Our assignment was to reach a drainage just over from Cold Water Canyon, where the snowboarders presumably came down.  The team started out on snow shoes at 2:30am from the truck.  We were on and off a 4x4 road for a while, crossed the creek, and eventually ended up on a ridge just above the drainage.  It was steep angle snow shoe traverses and crotch deep snow at times in 18 degree F weather.  The team did well, and we didn't take any real breaks because it was cold if you weren't moving.  Radio commuications were hard at times in our area.  The sun came up and we reached Cold Water Camp about 7:00am.   Then we headed towards the drainage, and sure enough we found snowboard tracks (3 sets), so the trail was hot.  

We were excited, running down the tracked out trail, and had voice contact within 10 min.  We found the 3 snowboarders and checked their conditions.  They were cold, cold feet, wet clothes, and hungry, but doing very well for folks stuck out all night in cold weather.  We changed their socks, got them some hot chocolate, gave them dry jackets and gloves, and they were instantly doing better.  They had built a survival shelter out of fallen tree limbs and insulated the floor with pine needles and such.  They were trying to start a fire when we found them.  We decided to hike them out since getting them moving would keep them warm.  The hike out was a little over 4 miles, but the 3 of them were creative and sat on their boards and sort of scooted down the trail so that they didn't sink in the snow.  We found the transport waiting for us back at the road and all was well. 

All the Units met at the Lytle Creek Ranger Station Saturday morning, and loaded into four-wheel-drive vehicles to hit the sloggy, slippery dirt road to the crash site.  The Search Dog Team had four cadaver dogs with handlers, along with members of other Units - SB Mountain S&R, Morongo Basin, Wrightwood, Victor Valley, etc. who all made their way along the forest service road.  The Coroner’s Office and the NTSB planned to enter the crash site to size up the scene prior to our work beginning.  There was airplane debris scattered over in and along a gully.  The fuselage was badly, badly mangled.

The dog teams went out, and grid searchers followed.  We were to flag all aircraft debris, and all human remains we could locate.  The area was covered in our typical thick chaparral and the going was tough in the brush, especially along the steep slopes of the gully.  We had a busy day, and located many small, medium, and of course, large parts for the Coroner’s and NTSB’s use in determining what had happened to the flight, and to its occupants.

A group of us stayed in the field long enough to deliver the two body bags to the road side, leaving the Coroner and NTSB personnel to complete their tasks.