PCSO search and rescue busy past two weeks

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue (SAR) team has been involved in 15 missions the past two weeks as hiking season starts, especially in the Superstition Mountains’ wilderness areas.

• On March 15, the team was called to the area of Haunted Canyon for two lost hikers. The hikers had not packed provisions for overnight.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Ranger helicopter located the hikers but the darkness and steep terrain made a nighttime rescue impossible. A search and rescue deputy and two SAR Posse members hiked nearly seven hours to the lost hikers’ location. They waited with the lost hikers until the Ranger helicopter returned the next morning to get the hikers out.

• On March 16, the SAR team was busy again responding to the Picket Post Mountain near Superior. Two hikers had become separated from their group. The two overdue hikers were located and were uninjured.

• On March 17, a male hiker fell, striking his head at the waterfall near the Hieroglyphics Trail in the Superstitions. SAR deputies and SAR posse responded with a stokes' basket and carried the man out the canyon area for medical attention.

• On March 23, a female hiker broke her ankle on Picacho Peak. SAR members short hauled the injured hiker off the mountain.

Later that day, the SAR team was called out to the Arizona Trail near Oracle. A 60-year-old woman hiking with a large group was overcome by the hike and needed assistance off the mountain. While SAR deputies were helping her descend the trail, four other members of her hiking party were reported missing. Two of those missing hikers were able to make it out of the area on their own, but SAR deputies had to locate the other two hikers and assist them off the mountain.

The SAR team returned to the Picacho Peak area again on March 23 after a mother and her 4-year-old daughter called for help after becoming stranded on a cliff as the sun started to set. With the assistance from the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Ranger helicopter, SAR deputies located the pair and were able to hike up the mountain and safely navigate the child and her mother down to safety.

• On March 24, two female hikers went off the trail above the waterfall near the Hieroglyphics Trail. The hikers had not prepared for an overnight stay and needed assistance finding their way out of the park.

Just hours later, a female quad rider near Box Canyon had to be extricated from the area so she could be transported by air ambulance for multiple injuries.

• On March 25, a 65-year-old female lost consciousness on Picacho Peak. The female victim was suffering from heat exposure and dehydration needing assistance off the mountain. SAR deputies hiked up and assisted her off the mountain.

• On March 27, the SAR team was dispatched to the Superstition Mountain area after a wife called and said her 24-year-old husband was overdue from his hike. The SAR posse located the man and returned him to his car.

• On March 29, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a missing member from a off-road party. The group was four-wheeling in the Mammoth area. On a climb, a driver at the back of the pack disappeared. SAR deputies responded and found the Jeep that appeared to have rolled off a cliff. The driver was pronounced dead inside the vehicle.

• On March 29, a juvenile got lost walking in the desert near Mammoth. The teen stayed on the phone with dispatchers as SAR deputies responded. The teen was able to find his way to a roadway with the dispatcher’s help and was driven home by deputies.

• On March 30, SAR deputies and posse members were dispatched to the Lost Dutchman State Park. There were three adult hikers unable to make their way out of the park and were nearly out of water. SAR deputies located the hikers and escorted them down the trail.

• On March 31, SAR deputies and posse members were back at the Lost Dutchman State Park to rescue an adult female who fractured her ankle.

“The Pinal County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team already has had a record year for the number of calls for service related to lost hikers,” Sheriff Paul Babeu said. “Individuals are encouraged to enjoy the great outdoors and the beautiful hiking trails of the Superstition Mountains but they need to be prepared and monitor the weather before starting their adventure.”

Hiking tips:

• Always inform someone of your plans. Make sure they know the area you will be in and when to expect your return. Then make sure you stick to your plan.
• Bring plenty of water. Make sure to take enough to stay properly hydrated and have extra in case a missed trail or wrong turn extends your tip.
• Take a fully charged cell phone.
• Have adequate clothing. Clothing should be lightweight, light in color, appropriate pants and long-sleeve shirt. Have a hat available to protect your head and neck from the sun. Have a good set of boots with nonslip soles if possible. Tennis shoes are not adequate for hiking mountain trails.
• Know weather conditions.
• Know your limitations. If you start feeling fatigued or ill, it’s all right for you to turn around and head back. Don’t ignore what your body is telling you.
• Bring compass/GPS/maps. The old-fashioned compass is rapidly going way to the GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation. But compasses are still often cheaper and it’s always a good idea for hikers to get familiar with one and how to use it. If you are going to use a GPS make sure you get waypoints and bring spare batteries. Make sure you bring an efficient map.