Search and Rescue Team Aids Lost Hikers

Cuyama- June 7th, 2010

On Saturday, June 5, 2010, two female hikers in their 50's from Bakersfield went on an overnight backpack trip in the mountains southwest of New Cuyama.  After leaving their vehicle at Aliso Campground, they started hiking up the canyon. 

Sometime that afternoon they lost the trail they were following.  While disorientated, the two backpackers decided to camp the night and try to find their way back at daylight.  They spent most of the next day attempting to relocate the trail to return to Aliso Campground; unable to do, so they climbed to a high point to access cellular coverage and called 9-1-1.

One dozen personnel from the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department and Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue responded at around 4 pm Sunday to look for the lost backpackers.  Additional resources from Santa Barbara County Fire Aviation and the Forest Service were also requested given the remote location.

County Fire Copter 308 and 309 responded to transport SAR personnel and to help look for the lost subjects.  At approximately 5pm Copter 309 spotted the two subjects down in a canyon and lowered a medic to them.  Unable to land or hoist any further SAR personnel down to the subjects due to the high wind in the area, the medic hiked the subjects down the trail where they met up with a crew from the Forest Service that helped the subjects back to their vehicle at Aliso Campground. 

Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue is an all-volunteer emergency response team under the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department.  For further information on the team, visit www.sbcsar.org.  For further information on this incident contact Nelson Trichler, SAR PIO at 698-0752.

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