**** Lost Picnicers Air Rescued at Marshall Gulch, AZ. ***

From: cweddle@astro.as.arizona.edu (Chris Weddle)
Newsgroups: misc.emerg-services
Subject: SAR MISSION - TOO SHORT!
Date: 17 Jul 1995 05:59:34 GMT
Organization: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ


Search & Rescue Mission - Catalina Mountains, Arizona.Sunday, July 16:  At
10:00 two visitors from Mexico left the picnic ground at Marshall Gulch,
where family members were having a picnic, to shootsome video and take some
photographs. They had no supplies of any kind beyond the video and camera
stuff. The plan was to spend perhaps an hour, and then rejoin the group in
time for lunch.

By about 16:30 they had not returned. Family members contacted the Pima
County Sheriff's Office, and a mountain deputy was dispatched to interview
the family. In the meantime, the Sheriff's SAR Duty Officer started up the
mountain from Tucson. Rescue 3 was in the small community of Summerhaven for
the weekend, while I was at the Mt Lemmon FD for EMT class and ride-alongs.

By 17:00, information gathered by the mountain deputy indicated that a
search should be initiated. These people were not hikers at all, were
totally unfamiliar with the area and were completely non-equipped.
Volunteers were paged with members of the Southern Arizona Rescue
Association and the Pima County Sheriff's Mounted Posse responding.
Additionally, the Arizona Dept. of Public Safety Air Rescue chopper,
Ranger 38, was requested and launched from their base at Tucson Medical
Center.

Myself and the Rescue 3 driver arrived at Marshall Gulch by 17:10 and
proceeded to interview the reportees indepth, as well as to seek out tracks
and scent articles. Medical histories were of no concern, with 20 and 30
year old males in good health and physical shape - just out of their
customary environment.

Descriptions were broadcast to volunteers who were headed up the mountain
from Tucson, and to Ranger 38 when it arrived. Unfortunately the conditions
were such that no tracks could be found and identified, and there were no
search dogs available. Scent articals were identified and protected in the
event a dog might become available later in the search. Initial plans were
to put teams down the Box Camp Trail, checking overlooksinto Sabino Canyon
on their way to the Box Spring Trail. If nothing foundvia the overlooks the
team would drop into Sabino via Box Spring and come up Sabino to Marshall
Gulch. The next team would drop into Sabino at Marshall Gulch and head down
the canyon. A third team was slated for the Sunset Trail from Marshall Gulch
to Soldiers Camp. The fourth priority was putting a team on the Aspen Trail
to attain overlooks into Sabino Canyon above the old Gaging Station. Horse
mounted teams were instructed to respond to the Box Camp trailhead, with the
expectation that they could handle a horse back extrication from near Box
Spring should this prove necessary.

While teams were driving up the mountain, Ranger 38 began spotting various
hikers. Eventually 2 were spotted fitting the description of our subjects.
Upon closer overflights Ranger 38 determined that these people were carrying
a video and still camera, and that the clothing/physical descriptions were
very close. Only a shirt color varied from that reported. The subjects were
reported as being at about 6600' elevation, near the stream bottom 1 to
1.5 miles below the Gaging Station. This is about 1000' lower than Marshall
Gulch, and far from any developed trail, save for the end of the Box Spring
Trail which is hard to find in the bottom of Sabino Canyon. This information
shifted primary attention to the Box Camp approach, with secondary teams
still expected to go in from Marshall Gulch and all otherareas canceled. 

Ranger 38 reported that the subjects were not moving, but did not apear to
have any injury. Also, Ranger 38 could see no approach tothe subjects for a
helcopter evac. By this time the first team was arriving at the Box Camp
Trail. However, the two subjects did not remain still, and proceeded to move
up canyon. This did not last long, as they quickly tired and stopped again,
suggesting typical "Pooped Out Hiker Syndrome". Ranger 38 continued to fly
the area, and soon came up with a plan. A place near to the subjects was
found where Ranger 38 could drop off a crew member, who hiked over to our
subjects.

The crew member determined that the two could be taken out 1 at a time, thus
saving the foot troops an extrication of many hours duration.Myself, Rescue
3, the PCSO SAR Duty Officer and the Mountain Deputy all responed to the
Aspen Vista Point parking area to secure an LZ. Only a few vehicles needed
to be moved and the LZ was ready when the first subject was flown out. The
second subject and the Ranger crew man were flown out shortly thereafter,
ending the operation.

No foot people actually had time to get into the field, with the entire
matter ending inside of 2 hours. Were it not for the unusually stable
weather Ranger 38 would not have been able to fly, let alone effect this
extrication. At these elevations, at this time of year and time of day,
conditions are commonly unstable with thunderstorms moving in cells across
South Eastern Arizona, and heavily so about our high mountains. This had
been the case for the past several days, with the forecast unchanged.

Some 12 volunteers had come up the mountain, plus the two of us who were
already up here. The first team that had been slated for the Box Camp Trail
promptly declared an "Orientation Hike" and invited all the other folks to
join them. About half the volunteers took off down the Box Camp Trail to try
their hand at locating all the off-trail holler points and other assorted
"SAR" landmarks. All were out of the field by 21:30, and retired back to
Tucson.

Chris Weddle
Memberbut not speaking for
Southern Arizona Rescue Association, Inc.

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