In a tremendous display of emergency agencies’ skills over 2days of effort, they successfully saved a climber who suffered a devastating leg injury in a remote part of California’s Sierra Nevada.
Inyo County Search and Rescue first became aware of a potential incident when local emergency services received an SOS notice from a climber’s Garmin inReach on the afternoon of July 2. She had sustained a serious leg injury, and lost a backpack with her food and water.
She was located at an elevation of 13,600 feet on the west side of Mt. Williamson, the second-highest peak in California after Mt. Whitney. Inyo County SAR quickly reached out to California Highway Patrol Central Division Air Operations to send helicopters to the area.
Soon after they received the emergency transmission, the weather took a turn for the worse, with intense thunderstorms descending on the Sierras. The severe lightning and high winds prevented helicopters from safely reaching the climber. With help from the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, an aircraft was able to drop four SAR volunteers as high as Shepherd’s Pass, located at an elevation of around 10,500 feet.
“The crew could not fly higher due to performance limitations at altitude, requiring SAR teams to continue on foot through the night,” Inyo County Search and Rescue wrote on Facebook.
By sunrise on July 3, the crew was able to make visual and verbal contact with the injured climber, but the terrain made it difficult to reach her. The weather soon improved enough for helicopters to resume high-altitude flight, but the steep, narrow chute the climber was located in “exceeded the helicopter’s capabilities.”
Ultimately, a CHP H-40 helicopter managed to deposit two additional SAR members above the victim, who were able to descend and finally reach her. They carefully moved her to terrain more easily accessible to aircraft. On the evening of July 3 — a full 28 hours after the initial SOS call — a helicopter team hoisted up the climber and transferred her to a nearby hospital.
Inyo County SAR wrote that the multi-agency rescue effort “required tremendous coordination, endurance, and technical skill.” They praised the injured climber’s ability to stay composed under such extreme circumstances.
“Enormous bravery and fortitude was shown by this patient, and all involved were impressed by her ability to remain calm, collected, and alive,” the agency said.
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