Inyo Co Sheriff's Dept:
On Labor Day at around 4PM, Inyo SAR was called out to rescue a mountaineer with a head injury on the Mountaineers’ Route on Mt Whitney.
The subject had been descending by himself, when a bystander watched him fall in the chute, after which he lost consciousness due to head injuries.
Inyo SAR mobilized with 7 volunteers and met CHP helicopter H-80 at the airport in Lone Pine. One team member then was transported via helicopter to the accident site, where she was hoisted down to the ground.
By now, 7 good Samaritans from 3 different groups had assembled to help the patient and the rescuer. Unfortunately, the winds were erratic and it was too risky to hoist the patient out, so H-80 had to leave. Due to the late hour, they returned to Apple Valley for a crew change.
Meanwhile on the mountain, the rescuer and good Samaritans – 3 of whom happened to be mountain guides – used ropes to lower the patient down the steep slope, then carried him slowly to a landing zone near Iceberg Lake. At around 0:20AM, H-80 returned and managed to land despite still gusty winds. They successfully evacuated both patient and rescuer.
At Lone Pine airport, the patient was transferred to an air ambulance which took him to Antelope Valley hospital for further treatment. We wish him a speedy and full recovery.
We’d like to express our deepest gratitude for the 7 good Samaritans who dropped everything they were doing to help this solo mountaineer, who gave him their sleeping bags and used their skills as Wilderness First Responders to evaluate and monitor his status. You quite possibly saved his life and the rescue would have never gone this smoothly without you!
Please, please wear a helmet anytime you are in steep terrain with fall and/or rockfall danger!! The Mountaineers’ Route on Mt Whitney is such a place.
While we’re talking about it, we’d also like to remind the public that this is indeed a mountaineering route, not a hiking trail. If you’d like to hike on Mt Whitney, please choose the Main Trail, also called South Fork of Lone Pine Creek, or the John Muir Trail.
Inyo SAR is an all-volunteer and unpaid, professional non-profit 501(c)3 organization in cooperation with and under the authority of the Inyo County Sheriff's Office. Providing search and rescue services to Inyo County and its visitors is only possible thanks to donations.