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7/18 Missing Hiker Alert

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Maverick02 Lee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2014 · Points: 0
Maverick02 Lee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2014 · Points: 0

[b]Inyo Co. Sheriff's Dept:[/b]

[quote] At approximately 1:45pm Mrs. Solomon was located by CHP H-82, south-east of Baker Lake on a rocky bench between Baker Lake and Hidden Lake. She had positioned herself in area that was open and was waving her jacket as the helicopter approached. Due to the rocky location the helicopter could not land, so ground search members responded to her location and guided her to a location accessible by a vehicle. Mrs. Solomon and the team successfully made it to the vehicle location around 4:30pm.

We would like to thank China Lake Mountain Rescue Group, Inyo Search and Rescue, and CHP - Inland Division Air Operations. [/quote]

Alicia Sokolowski · · Brooklyn, NY · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 1,781

Glad it's a happy ending!

Old lady H · · Boise, ID · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 1,374

Smart woman! Glad it worked out well.

Best, OLH

Andrew Krajnik · · Plainfield, IL · Joined Jul 2016 · Points: 1,739

Outstanding! So glad to hear she made it back safely.

John Barritt · · The 405 · Joined Oct 2016 · Points: 1,083
Old lady H wrote:

Smart woman! 

I don't know H, that's a lot of wasted resources, manpower, helicopter fuel etc. that could have been avoided if she'd had the smarts NOT to leave ahead of her party........And/or wait for them at the fork in the trail.

Sometimes on scout outings, over eager boys will take off down the trail ahead of the group, I let them get a ways out front, yell at them to stop and come back. Then I ask them; "Do you know where you are going?" they always say "No" then I ask "Why are you leading then?"..............Saves a lot of time trying to figure out where they made a wrong turn that way............ ;)

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276
John Barritt wrote:

I don't know H, that's a lot of wasted resources, manpower, helicopter fuel etc. that could have been avoided if she'd had the smarts NOT to leave ahead of her party........And/or wait for them at the fork in the trail.

Sometimes on scout outings, over eager boys will take off down the trail ahead of the group, I let them get a ways out front, yell at them to stop and come back. Then I ask them; "Do you know where you are going?" they always say "No" then I ask "Why are you leading then?"..............Saves a lot of time trying to figure out where they made a wrong turn that way............ ;)

Agree - getting lost in the first place isn't all that smart. I suppose it could happen to anybody, me included, but I wouldn't think I was smart because I got found!

IcePick · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2017 · Points: 100

Stick together,  Sometimes these missing hiker stories don't end all that well...

J. Albers · · Colorado · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 1,926

For sh*t sake people, everyone makes mistakes and I for one am glad she is okay.  In fact, I'm just psyched to see that this lady is getting out there and getting after it at the ripe young age of 61. Let's talk when you all are 61 and are sitting in front of your TV waiting for diabetes to set in (you still got 10 years to go to be her age Mr. Barritt, so take it easy there...besides, you can't get lost in Oklahoma because its flat and boring). Glad she's not my mom though, because then I would have to hunt down all you curmudgeons and kick you straight in the d*ck.

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276
J. Albers wrote:

For sh*t sake people, everyone makes mistakes and I for one am glad she is okay.  In fact, I'm just psyched to see that this lady is getting out there and getting after it at the ripe young age of 61. Let's talk when you all are 61 and are sitting in front of your TV waiting for diabetes to set in (you still got 10 years to go to be her age Mr. Barritt, so take it easy there...besides, you can't get lost in Oklahoma because its flat and boring). Glad she's not my mom though, because then I would have to hunt down all you curmudgeons and kick you straight in the d*ck.

Not sure what you're riled up about, but you shouldn't kick a duck.

John Barritt · · The 405 · Joined Oct 2016 · Points: 1,083
J. Albers wrote:

I would have to hunt down all you curmudgeons and kick you straight in the d*ck.

Yer gonna need bigger feet.............. ;)

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276
John Barritt wrote:

Yer gonna need bigger feet..... ;)

You mean like this? ("That's a twenty-footer")

Old lady H · · Boise, ID · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 1,374
John Barritt wrote:

I don't know H, that's a lot of wasted resources, manpower, helicopter fuel etc. that could have been avoided if she'd had the smarts NOT to leave ahead of her party........And/or wait for them at the fork in the trail.

Sometimes on scout outings, over eager boys will take off down the trail ahead of the group, I let them get a ways out front, yell at them to stop and come back. Then I ask them; "Do you know where you are going?" they always say "No" then I ask "Why are you leading then?"..............Saves a lot of time trying to figure out where they made a wrong turn that way............ ;)

I totally agree with your point, but, she parked once she was lost, left that note, and was someplace reasonably predictable.

An out of town hiker got lost here, on the mountain behind Boise. She sensibly headed for the huge nest of radio and ahem, microwave towers she could see, plunked down, and phoned herself in lost.

My son remarked that this would likely be his only SAR call for a lost person, where he could literally see where she was as soon as he walked out the front door!

Don't make it worse. Stay put and let them find you. Tell people where you are going, and have a precise time for that call to be made.

All that said, my son came within fifteen minutes of me calling him in overdue. Just a honkin hideous drive that took far longer than expected. I did sweat a bit that time, I admit!

Best, OLH

John Barritt · · The 405 · Joined Oct 2016 · Points: 1,083
Old lady H wrote:

I totally agree with your point, but, she parked once she was lost, left that note, and was someplace reasonably predictable.

Uhh..... leaving a note she had been there and going someplace else is not being parked. If she would have sat next to the note they would have found her instead. 

Old lady H · · Boise, ID · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 1,374
John Barritt wrote:

Uhh..... leaving a note she had been there and going someplace else is not being parked. If she would have sat next to the note they would have found her instead. 

Ah, but it merely says they unintentionally took two routes. Who took the "wrong" one??

The first mistake, as most have pointed out, was separating. Perhaps, she was expecting them to catch up and left the note? Perhaps wishful thinking. But I still give her complete credit for getting where she could be spotted, and  like I said, parking it. 

She had the good sense, at that point at least, to make an accurate assessment (super hard to not keep talking yourself into some alternate reality), and not make further mistakes.

That, was smart. 

Best, OLH

Old lady H · · Boise, ID · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 1,374
FrankPS wrote:

Not sure what you're riled up about, but you shouldn't kick a duck.

I loved this, by the way!

H.

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276
Old lady H wrote:

Ah, but it merely says they unintentionally took two routes. Who took the "wrong" one??

The one that got lost.

Old lady H · · Boise, ID · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 1,374
FrankPS wrote:

The one that got lost.

Geez Frank. Now I've upped you with both thumbs. 

Was it good for you too????

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Northern California
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