Missing Hiker Alert Mt. Whitney Trail 4/15 (Resolved)
Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:47 am
Inyo Co Sheriff's Dept:
INYO COUNTY, CA, APRIL 21, 2021 – On Thursday April 15, Saulo Sifuentes Escalante, a 36 year old man from Conroe, TX, arrived at Whitney Portal with intentions of hiking Mt Whitney as a day climb. The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office received notification on Sunday April 18 that he was overdue.
Inyo County Search and Rescue responded and searched the area unsuccessfully Monday April 19 with the assistance of CHP Inland Air Operations helicopter H80. On April 20, twelve Search and Rescue members were inserted by an Army Chinook helicopter, with teams distributed from the summit down to Mirror Lake. Kings Canyon National Park was also involved, since the search area included the west side of Mt Whitney, which is in the Park.
At approximately 11am on April 20 Kings Canyon officials notified Inyo County Sheriff’s Office that they had obtained a search warrant to review cell phone data records and that had revealed a potential location for the subject. A Chinook helicopter was dispatched to investigate the location and was able to locate the subject deceased south of the main Whitney trail at approximately 11,600’ elevation in a steep, snowy, north facing chute. The subject had apparently been ascending this chute when he slipped and fell.
The Chinook was able to move a team of rescuers to a landing zone 1,200’ below the site. Rescuers were able to access the site via a steep snow climb, and were able to assist in the recovery of Mr. Escalante late in the afternoon, by using a hoist into the Chinook.
Assisting agencies include: Inyo Search and Rescue, Inyo Sheriff, China Lake Mountain Rescue Group, and Kings Canyon National Park. Aerial assistance was provided by CHP, China Lake Naval Weapons Station, and Army National Guard.