Over the weekend, two rescue efforts were successfully accomplished, including a helicopter airlift Monday morning.

On Saturday afternoon, July 18, California Department of Parks and Recreation staff at the Mt. San Jacinto State Park received a 911 call of two hikers (father and son) suffering hypothermia and exhaustion at the peak shelter, about 6 miles away from the ranger station.

The first members of the rescue team reached the distressed hikers about 5:15 p.m. After assessing the subjects, the rescue team shared food, water and dry clothing.  Once the subjects warmed up, they began heading toward the Round Valley shelter, a 4-mile hike. After a rest, they headed 2.5 miles to the Long Valley Ranger Station.

Both subjects were safely reunited with their family about 10:30 p.m.

A more dangerous rescue began Sunday and was completed Monday. The initial call about a lost 28-year-old female hiker of Cerritos was received about 4 p.m. Sunday.

She apparently went off trail and lost her hiking party.  A brief cell phone call to the lost hiker helped the team gather vital information that aided in the rescue.

About 7:30 p.m., the first members of the rescue team found the fatigued hiker about 6 miles from the ranger station. She was on the north face of the mountain in steep, rocky terrain about a vertical mile below Miller Peak (the second highest peak on Mt. San Jacinto).

The steep, unstable terrain and lack of trail required the rescue team to use special equipment. Due to weather conditions, darkness and the harsh terrain, the rescue team deployed shelters and stayed overnight with the lost hiker until sunrise.

At sunrise Monday, the rescue team felt the safest option was an air lift out of the steep, harsh terrain rather than trying to hike it.

About 12:45 p.m., the subject was reunited with her friends unharmed.