SITKA, ALASKA
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Don Kluting says the man apparently headed down a newly-constructed spur trail behind the shelter.
“He ultimately ended up walking a mile down the wrong ridge to the north-northeast there. Totally disoriented, knew that he was on the wrong trail and lost.”
Kluting says the man had left his Sitka Trailworks hiking group to retrieve his lunch, which he had left on the trail near the shelter when the party stopped to photograph some ptarmigan.
The Trailworks guide made contact with the individual via cell phone, and then sought the help of Mountain Rescue close to 3 PM. By 4 PM, Kluting says he had teams on the mountain, plus the good fortune of phone contact with man.
Kluting says he was able to get a pretty good picture of the hiker’s whereabouts from his description of his surroundings.
“He was able to tell us that he was between two peaks. In the backs of our minds we suspected that he had got on that ridge back toward Starrigavan, but you never know until you get hands on the person.”
A total of 18 Search and Rescue members were involved in the mission, which concluded back in Sitka after 7 PM.
Kluting says he can’t overstate the importance of good preparation and good communication for people heading out on Sitka’s trails.
“Whether it’s VHF, cell phone, satellite phone – whatever it is – if we’re able to communicate with a lost person our job is so much easier. The urgency of the mission can be more accurately calculated. In this case, we were able to determine that he’s alive and well. We were able to tell him to stay put. With him stationary, we know he’s not going to get into a situation where he’s in technical terrain, and we don’t need to take our technical rescue equipment.”
Search and Rescue has located a lost female hiker in the same vicinity within the past two years. He says his crew’s familiarity with the territory was a plus.
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