Two teenaged hikers, presumed missing for several days on snowy mountain trails, were located with assistance from the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station. On Friday (March 3), the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Morongo Basin Station received a request to help search for two 17 year olds who were lost on the Pacific Crest Trail near San Gorgonio Mountain. The two 17 year-olds, one a resident of Cypress, California, and the other, a resident of Portland, Oregon, were dropped off near a trailhead in Whitewater on Sunday, February 26. They teens lost touch with their parents on Tuesday, February 28. The timeline for their journey was over a week that saw record snowfall in many areas of the San Bernardino Mountain range, and the teens say that the snow made it difficult for them to stay on the trail. On Friday, March 3, the Sheriff’s Aviation Helicopter 40King1 arrived and flew over a remote section of the Pacific Crest Trail along Mission Creek, eventually locating the teens. The crew of the helicopter performed an off-site landing in heavy snow and contacted the lost hikers. The crew ultimately flew the juveniles to the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station, where they received medical attention, food, water, and a warm place until their parents arrived.
