The Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team and Altadena Mountain Rescue Team spent about seven hours Thursday night rescuing a hiker stuck in a hard-to-reach spot in Eaton Canyon, according to Rich Deleon, a team member who participated in the rescue.
A male hiker got stuck down in a canyon around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, and the team ultimately hoisted him out around 12:30 a.m. Friday, Deleon said.
The hiker was stuck in a very atypical spot - he started along the ridge line towards the upper water falls where so many hikers get stuck, but then switched directions and started heading back towards the trailhead while still up on the ridge, Deleon said.
He then started to climb down a very steep canyon area, fell a little, and somehow got down to the bottom without seriously hurting himself. He was able to call out to a friend who was hiking with him, who called 9-1-1.
The Altadena team responded and also received assistance from the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue team throughout the rescue, Deleon said.
Rescuers had to lower themselves about 500 feet just to reach him, according to Deleon, which took them many hours to do.
"It took the better part of the night to get someone safely to his location," Deleon said.
Deleon, who was standing at the command post at Pinecrest Gate, said that the hiker was so close that he could see the rescuers head lamps as they worked to lower themselves to him.
Once they reached him with a safe anchored rope, they were able to climb back out with him in minutes, Deleon said.
The hiker was not seriously injured and did not require medical care, he added.
The people getting caught up there are hiking off established trails. The mountains behind us are decomposed granite - unlike the Sierras where I first started hiking, this rock crumbles and breaks away beneath your feet. It is VERY dangerous to just start crawling up the side of a cliff or crossing a narrow ridge on an animal path with severe drops off. You need to stay on trails. These young people weren't lost - they were sucked into attempting a known risky entry to the upper falls by Facebook postings. Many of them are out of area. They are taking a huge risk fulling knowing exactly what they are getting into. People are repeating the same mistake virtually every week up there. One week we had 2 rescues in 2 days! Most of these involve helicopters, many involve minors who are drinking (or intending to drinkl) and all involve risk to rescuers. There have been many times in my 30+ years of living and hiking in the area that trails and portions of trails have been declared closed due to danger and fenced off. Sometimes it has been fire/flood damage, or just plain unsafe trails conditions. With the rate of rescues in this area in the past year, it is clear that this area is unsafe and needs to be closed off.
With respect to the dangers of the particular ridges, are there laws in place to prohibit the behavior? Maybe that's what it will take so that people will be cited, fined, and discouraged from being stupid.