Search and Rescue Team aids two lost hikers near Mt. Conness

Date:      July 29, 2015
Subject: Search and Rescue Team Operation

On the evening of Saturday, July 25, 2015, at approximately 10:30PM, the Mono County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding two lost backpackers near the summit of Mt. Conness.

Two hikers from Petaluma, California, had summited Mt. Conness, but upon their descent, they could not find their descent route.  They called the Mono County Sheriff’s Office via cell phone from a ridge southeast of the summit, approximately on the Yosemite Park boundary, at 12,300 feet. They were advised to stay where they were and shelter as well as possible in place until rescuers could reach them.

The Mono County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team (SAR) was called to aid in locating the hikers and bring them back to familiar territory.  The hikers attempted to find their way down, and last contact was made at 2:30AM, north of Alpine Lake.  SAR members hiked in from Saddlebag Lake, and within a few hours, were able to find the pair about a mile west of the Carnegie Research Station.  They were escorted out to Saddlebag Lake.  - Jennifer M. Hansen, Public Information Officer