On Saturday morning (June 22) at around 9:30 a.m., the Sheriff’s Department received a report that a hiker had left a camp the previous night and had not yet returned. Deputies responded to the area in the 54500 block of Gleason Road in Landers and began an area check. Deputies said that because of the approximate 12 hours the hiker had been missing, combined with the terrain of the search, they requested additional resources including a helicopter and the Department’s tracking K9 unit Naji with handler Deputy Bakker.
After a 45- minute search, the helicopter unit spotted the hiker approximately two- miles north of the camp. The helicopter landed, confirmed the identity of the missing hiker, and determined that they were suffering from dehydration. Medics were called, and the hiker was taken to Hi-Desert Medical Center for dehydration treatment.
The Sheriff’s Department’s Morongo Basin Station reminds hikers, recreators, visitors, and residents in the hi-desert to be cautious of extreme heat in the summer months. Try to plan hikes and outdoor activities for the early mornings and evenings, and always bring more water than you think you’ll need.
