Photo: Inyo County SAR
Inyo County Search and Rescue is reporting one grueling rescue effort that spanned two days, required five helicopters, and a solo climber who endured one of the most gruesome injuries imaginable on California’s Mt. Williamson – a peak on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, northwest of the town of Lonepine. The whole ordeal began on the afternoon of July 2 at an elevation of 13,600 feet when the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office received an SOS from the climber’s Garmin InReach device. From there, a massive rescue effort unfolded.
To make matters more urgent, the solo climber had lost her backpack with all her food, water, and extra clothing. She had endured a “serious injury to her lower leg, with bone visibly protruding through the skin,” they said, but she had remained surprisingly calm and responsive in making their first contact via satellite text.
Next came a storm along with lightning, rain, and winds strong enough that helicopters were grounded before they could reach her. By this point, daylight was gone and SAR workers were forced to continue their work on foot. Once the sun was back up on July 3, rescue workers had reached the base of Mt. Williamson’s west face and were able to make verbal contact with the climber.
The terrain was preventing them from reaching her by foot as well as accessing her with the helicopter’s hoist. At this point, SAR dropped two rescuers 300 feet above the climber where they could descend the narrow chute and reach her. All of this took place in 23 hours following the climber’s fall. Another helicopter with a longer hoist cable was brought in but that didn’t work either. Finally, California National Guard deployed a Blackhawk Spartan chopper. After Search and Rescue moved the climber to open terrain that the National Guard chopper could access, they were able to complete the 28-hour rescue.
“This complex, multi-agency operation involved five helicopters over two days and required tremendous coordination, endurance, and technical skill. Six SAR volunteers were deployed in the field, with seven more supporting base operations and standing by for insertion if needed,” Inyo County SAR wrote this week. “This mission is a powerful reminder of the dangers of high-altitude mountaineering and the extraordinary efforts behind each rescue. The climber’s bravery and composure in extreme conditions were remarkable.”
