Search & Rescue Team and Aviation Bureau Combine to Save Stranded Hikers

Cuyama- March 28th, 2009

On Saturday, March 28, 2009 members of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Aviation Bureau and Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue completed a joint operation in the rescue of three dehydrated and exhausted hikers from McPherson Peak in the Los Padres National Forest.

The subjects had started earlier in the day from Alisos Canyon near Cuyama in the northern part of Santa Barbara County with the intention of spending the weekend hiking and camping.  After hiking all day in high temperatures, the subjects ran out of water and became too exhausted to return to their car. 

Some time after 5pm the subjects used their cell phone which was able to hit a cell tower somewhere in the Cuyama Valley from their location on top of McPherson Peak which is not always possible back in the forest.

Search and Rescue personnel reached the subjects and coordinated their rescue with a Sheriff's Department helicopter which transported all of them safely back to their car by 8:30pm.

Search and Rescue EMTs gave the three hikers water with a mixture of electrolytes to replenish their fluids.  This helped them to recover from their dehydration and they were released with no further medical care needed.

For more information about the Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue Team please go to www.sbcsar.org.

For further information about this incident or inquiries about joining the Search and Rescue Team, please contact Nelson Trichler at 805-698-0752.

-----

For more information regarding news related issues
please contact Drew Sugars, Public Information Officer.

Business Hours: (805) 681-4100
EMAIL:pio@sbsheriff.org