SAR Team aids in rescue to an overdue hiker near Sherwin Creek campground

Date:      July 16, 2015
Subject: Search and Rescue Team Operation

On the evening of Monday, July 13, 2015, at approximately 8:40PM, the Mono County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding an overdue day hiker near the Sherwin Creek campground.

A male day hiker, age 44, from Orange, California, set out on a day hike around 2:30PM. The hiker wasn’t expected to be out for long, and when he didn’t return when he said he would, the family became concerned. The Mono County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SAR) Team was dispatched to help in the search for the overdue day hiker near the Sherwin Creek campground. After securing the overdue hikers campsite for tracks, two SAR teams started searching nearby dirt roads and spoke with nearby campers to see if anyone had seen the overdue hiker.

The hiker had walked to a familiar place but had found himself turned around when he tried to return to his campsite. Realizing he was lost, he tried to hale down some motorists and knocked on an RV’s door but no one would help. Eventually he walked towards a light which put him at the closed-up YWCA Camp. The caretaker of the camp had previously spoken with one of the SAR teams, so when she found the overdue hiker, she gave him food and water, as he was very dehydrated and shivering, and called 911. The SAR team returned to the YWCA Camp and safely returned the overdue hiker to his family.

The Mono County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team uses this successful rescue as a reminder to always let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return, even if it is just for a small day hike or walk. - Jennifer M. Hansen, Public Information Officer