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| Hiking | 13.88 Miles |
3,696 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.88 Miles | 9 Hrs 41 Mns | | 2.25 mph |
| 3,696 ft AEG | 3 Hrs 31 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I joined Mitch and the Sierra Adventure Meetup on a hike because Joel was on-call and couldn't stray far from town. A few of my friends from the Alt meetup also went. I don't often join other groups so I thought it would be an interesting experience.
We left one car at the Red Ridge trail and then went up to the Mountain Lemmon TH.
The pace was a bit slower than our normal pace but I worked on resetting my mind to think of this is a leisurely hike. After a while, it became apparent that one of the guys on the trip was struggling some with the downhill. I kept hoping that maybe he is just one of those people who prefer uphill. I also wondered if he should turn around. But it wasn't my hike so I didn't say anything - which in hind site I probably should have.
I was amazed by the CDO trail. I hadn't been on it before and I found it to be quite lush and beautiful. It also had a fair amount of poison ivy on it. As we dropped in elevation the water level in the creek rose. I had stopped rock hopping and just waded in the creek and found that at times the water was up to my knees.
A few storms rolled in and we were rained on but nothing serious. However, the thunder all around us seemed angry.
As we approached our junction the vegetation changed. We started to see a lot more oak, juniper, and sycamore. There was even some yucca in bloom.
On the way up, the alt hikers took the lead and just waited whenever the trail was a bit iffy. The storms blew away so I put up my umbrella and rain cover.
The slow guy was starting to show a lot of distress. We stopped for a lunch break at the junction to Catalina Camp. It took him a long time to get there. Gary went back for him and made sure that he found the way. The hiker was tired, dehydrated, and cramping up. He rested with his feet up for a while.
The crew stocked up on water and then started the final three mile climb out. After waiting several times the debate about whether to call in for help started. We decided to split up and have three of us complete the car shuttle while the others worked to get the distressed hiker out. Mitch organized us in a manner that made sense. A nurse practitioner happened to be with us so she helped take care of the hiker. Mike, who typically hikes with Alt and always carries a ham radio in case of emergencies, so he also stayed. We were about two miles from the TH when we split up.
As we reached the crest, we saw a helicopter searching over by Oracle Ridge. We figured it was looking for our group. Soon it made it's way to Red Ridge. However, there was no where to land so it went away after radioing in the location of the group.
When we got to the trailhead, two sheriff's deputies and a crew of mountain rescue hikers showed up. We gave them some details and then they headed up the trail. We finished up the car shuttle and one of the other guys came up. He had started to feel really tired so he thought it was best for him to complete the hike instead of possibly becoming a patient, too.
After a bit Gary showed up and said that the rescuers had reached them so he came up. He reported that a horse had been requested.
Soon a horse rescue team showed up. I went to watch them saddle up and I was impressed with the efficiency they exhibited. They took off on the trail to bring the patient back on horseback.
The incident commander for SARA came by and so did the SARA horseman. Things went very smoothly. I assume that the call for help went out just before 4 PM and by 6 PM everyone was back at the TH.
Thank you SARA, Pima County Sheriffs, and the Southern Arizona Mounted Search and Rescue teams. We are lucky to have a lot of volunteers who are willing to help out! |
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