David Griffith was last seen at 1500 hours near the summit of Mt. Baldy. A hiking partner took a short break to take an extra clothing layer out of his pack, while Mr. Griffith continued down the trail with plans to return via the Sierra Club Hut. The partner finished the hike without finding Mr. Griffith.

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West Valley SAR was called the evening of December 13 to begin the search. Additional winter/alpine certified searchers were requested later that evening with teams spending the night out searching. On the morning of December 14, Sheriff's Aviation and a SAR member with a spotting scope located Mr. Griffith on the side of Goode Canyon. He was hoisted by the air crew and returned safely to Cow Canyon Saddle. Members from West Valley SAR, San Gorgonio SAR, SB Mountain SAR, Bear Valley SAR, the Cave & Technical Rescue Team, Victor Valley SAR, and Wrightwood SAR participated in the mission.

Approximately five years ago, April Pitzer boarded a bus headed home. She was never heard from again. A recent lead indicated that Red Dog Mine, south of Ludlow, CA would be a good place to search. The mine had been searched previously by Barstow Desert Rescue Squad, so this time the dog team was called to assist. The Barstow DRS and Cave Team worked together getting the dogs into the main shaft, while Kern and Los Angeles Counties worked on nearby shafts. Before the end of the day, the mine and two nearby shafts were thoroughly searched by humans and dogs. No remains were found.

This mission was especially interesting in that the dogs and handlers were inserted into the mine on rope. The video above illustrates the process, and the terrific training of the dogs. Toward the end of the mission,  on his way out, Matt Truitt, of the Cave Team, located an additional tunnel that had not been previously mentioned. The mine owner was on hand, and he wasn't aware of a fourth level. The maps that we had on scene only showed three levels. Matt and James, a member of the mine team, carefully searched this additional level.

Meanwhile above ground, a call was received indicating that human bones were found near Kelbaker road, so the Dog Team and Barstow DRS were released to search that site. Before exiting the mine, members of the Cave Team performed a line survey of the mine.

This evening, RIM SAR responded to a call for a search for a lost hiker near The Pinnacles northwest of Lake Arrowhead. At first, it was thought to be too windy for 40-K to fly, but while 15 members of the team were enroute, the hiker was found and extracted by the helicopter.