August 11, 2021 to August 12, 2021
It had had an active day and was ready to get off of the couch and go to bed. Suddenly a call for volunteers comes in by text message from the SAR Sherriff’s Deputy at around 22:00: “Injured female on the PCT. Strong hikers needed. Report to compound if available”. Rescue missions on the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) often involve long hikes in remote areas, often without radio or cell phone communication. After a short hesitation I decided that I was not too tired to go on this mission. I put on my usual SAR gear and grabbed my SAR backpack and hiking stick. The clothing and pack hang on the wall near my back door, always ready for deployment on a moment’s notice. The pack contains all the essential gear for a typical SAR mission lasting up to 24 hours. I climb into my pickup truck and speed to the SAR compound about 5 miles from my house. At the compound I meet two fellow volunteers, Mike and Gary. We pull one of the big SAR pickup trucks out of the garage and drive about an hour to get to the Sevenmile Trailhead where we meet the Sherriff’s Deputy in charge of the mission. The Deputy briefs us on the situation: “A 30 year old female hiker fell on the trail. Her name is “Sylvia” (Name changed to protect privacy) She has a head wound, an injuredthumb and bad back pain. She is camped near an area called Jack’s Spring and lays in her tent. Because of the possible serious injury a request for a helicopter evacuation has been made by the Sherriff’s office. The chopper might be available at 0700 tomorrow”. We are given GPS coordinates from the location of her emergency beacon message. I am the team leader for today’s mission and decide that Mike and I will hike and Gary will stay with the vehicle and monitor the two-way radio. Mike and I adjust the contents of our bags, leaving behind all gear we deem unnecessary for this mission and include first aid supplies and extra water. At around midnight we finally set out on the trail.