LOS ANGELES — Just after Matthew Jaurequi lost his footing on an icy trail and began to slide, his pal tried to seize him.
The two hikers coasted about 150 feet down from Icehouse Saddle near Mount Baldy on Tuesday, getting rid of their cellphones for the duration of the precipitous descent, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Section.
Coming to relaxation in close proximity to a tree, they had no way to get in touch with for help — until they spotted a cellphone lying in the snow, reported Doug Brimmer, a deputy pilot with the Sheriff’s Office.
It had 1% battery — adequate to dial 911.
The cellular phone, it turned out, had been there due to the fact very last week, right after one more hiker lost it in a very similar tumble.
Jaurequi, 38, was the fourth hiker rescued from the location in a 7 days, Brimmer said.
Commonly, rescues are more frequent in the Mount Baldy summit location. But current snowfall on Icehouse Canyon, southeast of Baldy’s mighty peak, has designed a slippery trap.
“The path turns into a tiny ice chute,” mentioned Brimmer, who helped with rescues on Saturday and Sunday. “So you happen to be going for walks on the trail one minute. Upcoming moment, you are sliding down the mountain.”
Jaurequi and various other hikers missing their footing inspite of donning microspike-fashion gadgets on their shoes.
Hiking in steep, rugged terrain blanketed in ice or snow without having crampons, which are clamped to footwear for ice climbing, and an ice axe, together with good schooling to use them, “can lead to major injury or death,” the Sheriff’s Department explained in a news launch.
Jaurequi was hoisted into a sheriff’s helicopter from his distant, perilous situation about 7,600 feet higher than sea level. His buddy was equipped to climb again up to the path and hike out on his individual.
The phone’s owner, Nicholas Ardoin, was found Dec. 16 by sheriff’s aviation rescuers, clinging to a tree. Ardoin, 32, of Encinitas was hurt and unable to go.
Two times afterwards, 27-yr-previous Patrick Murphy of Los Angeles coasted down about 100 ft around Ontario Peak and was not able to make his way again up, even with ice gear. He was located making use of GPS coordinates gleaned from his 911 phone.
The up coming working day, some thing equivalent took place to Jeaffreson Guevara, who was climbing with his spouse along the saddle when the snow-covered trail abruptly gave way.
Guevara, 45, slid about 900 toes right before grabbing on to some bushes.
When recuperating in mattress Tuesday, the Los Angeles County resident explained the descent “like heading to a roller coaster — down.”
He was poorly bruised, sore and quickly not able to walk or operate but escaped without having head trauma or other lifestyle-threatening accidents.
Brimmer stressed that hikers need to carry a cellphone and a battery pack.
“Without that cellphone, with us seeking for you — certain, we’ll ship helicopters, we’ll mail floor teams,” he explained. “But it could acquire awhile.”
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