Anonymous
By the Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue (SAR)
[Monday] afternoon around 3:45pm, Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue responded along with Montecito Fire, AMR and Santa Barbara County Air Support to the report of a dehydrated subject in the Hot Spring pools area. SAR teams were just returning from the Hwy 166 vehicle crash and recovery at the time and diverted to the trail rescue.
Upon arriving, SAR teams included a foot team to hike the trail, a 4×4 team to make access as far as possible up the fire road and a bike team to make quick access. Fire included foot teams to access the subject via the trail.
Teams assessed and packaged the patient for carry out to a SAR vehicle for transport to the AMR ambulance at the trailhead. It was determined that the helicopter would not be needed for transport or hoist due to the injuries found during the assessment.
Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue is a professional, all volunteer and unpaid 501(c)3 organization that is community supported by generous giving to provide services to the County of Santa Barbara under the direction of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. To learn about supporting SBCSAR, please visit our website or reach out to us.
Should read : “IRRESPONSIBLE HIKER RESCUED FROM HOT SPRINGS TRAIL”
@ Karma:
I leave my home more than you could count.
And when I do I EQUIP myself for whatever trip I undertake.
Trekking up the trails without water is just a sign of complete idiocy!
It’s a simple and true as that!
FONDOFSB: Please take my upvote.
Fondo and GOML, i bet you two never leave your home, rarely if ever talk like this to people in person. You’re constant rude comments are frankly obnoxious at best. Do you get a good rise when you post ridiculous things like slamming someone for needing help? I’m an SAR volunteer and i do this to help people like them. Id even drag your sorry butts off the mountain if needed, but i doubt you even know what a trail looks like.
Hopefully this hiker will not hike without sufficient water again, and will let friends and others know it is no joke to hike without enough–and to know how much is enough, depending on the terrain and the temperature! The amount of resources required to help were huge. I don’t remember so many people needing rescue in the days before cell phones gave people a false sense of safety, even in our “tame” front country. If you’re not peeing every hour or so, “clear and copious,” you are not well-hydrated.
Mindriver:
You’re absolutely right!
Enough with these irresponsible behaviors!
Thank you SAR volunteers! You guys and gals are a blessing for our area and beyond. I know you deploy all over(even out of state) when needed, and are on call on call 24/7. If anyone is shaming people who get in trouble in the woods, look around at your fellow Santa Barbians ? Come on lol. Sometimes we bite off more than we can chew. I grew up in the woods but most people did not. Living this close to so much beautiful nature is tempting and can lead to emergencies. Once again thank you SAR and all first responders:)
Idiot
You should get off your over-watered lawn and go out for a nice hike with a large bottle filled with said water.
As the weather warms up, please maintain a healthy respect for our local mountains. Though beautiful and inviting, they are extremely rugged, and going off trail can be impenetrable.
Check the weather before hand, start early in the day, carry extra water, watch your step, and enjoy.
Absolutely! In the 80’s we used to trot, crouched down along animal trails, exploring and getting a great workout. There were no cell phones then so we carried plenty of water and other basic supplies. We never had trouble beyond exhaustion and some scrapes (first aid kit), because we knew that we were on our own out there. Great memories. I suspect that artificial reliance on cell phones is a factor in the inept back country escapades we now see.
Have fun with those ticks!
Maybe people should stay home.
If it’s dark and you have no flashlight at least an hour in at Bony Mountain…have a bic lighter shining under a baseball cap and go for it! Or if you have a migraine down the trail off east Camino cielo..buck up and keep going!
That’s the romance of the wilderness! Who just gives up? People who should stay home.
dehydrated hiker?
found by “the pools”?
time to drink from the pools.
and jump in .
Creekmoe- Agreed! Dehydration kills either physically or by impaired judgement. In that situation. drink the creek! The doctors are close and can deal with any potential waterborne infection later.
At the least the hiker brought their phone and were smart enough to reach out for help when they
realized they were in trouble. Glad we have such a responsive search and rescue team.