Search and Rescue Operation: Search for a Missing Hiker Near Horseshoe Lake

To:       All News Outlets

From:  Jennifer Hansen, Public Information Officer

Date:   May 21, 2013

RE:      Search and Rescue Team Operation: Search for a Missing Hiker at Horseshoe Lake

On the evening of Saturday, May 18, 2013, at approximately 8:00pm, Mono County Sheriff’s Dispatch received a call regarding an overdue hiker in the Horseshoe Lake area.

A 63-year-old hiker, from Merced, CA, was reported overdue by his son when he didn’t return after a 3-4 hour hike. The Mono County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SAR) team was called out to aid in the search for the missing hiker. The search continued all night with no sightings of the hiker. On the morning of Sunday, May 19, 2013, the Mono County SAR team received additional search assistance from a CHP H40 helicopter out of Fresno, the Inyo County Search and Rescue team, and canine teams from Truckee and Clovis.

The hiker originally hiked out of the Horseshoe Lake area, over Mammoth Pass, down through Red’s Meadow and then left the trail to find an “all downhill trail or passage” that he figured would put him out on 395 somewhere around Bishop. He did not make it out of the Red’s Meadow area before nightfall. He spent a cold night out before some hikers spotted him the next morning, knew the search was going on, and informed the hiker that search efforts were currently in progress for him. The hikers were able to get in touch with the SAR team and take the hiker to a nearby trailhead out of Red’s Meadow where Mono County Sheriff’s SAR team members met the hiker and reunited him with his son.