Backpacker Rescued In Santa Barbara County Backcountry

Los Padres National Forest - August 15th, 2010

A San Luis Obispo man’s solo camping trip in the Santa Barbara backcountry came to abrupt end Sunday morning after an injury prompted a helicopter rescue.

At approximately 7:41am on Sunday, August 15, 2010, Sheriff’s Dispatchers were notified that Santa Barbara County’s volunteer Search and Rescue Team was needed to locate a backpacker who may be injured.

The reporting party said that she had dropped off a 44-year old San Luis Obispo County man at Nira Campground in the Los Padres National Forest about ten miles north of Lake Cachuma. The woman was scheduled to pick up her friend on Monday, August 16, but she became concerned when she received an emergency signal from the man who had brought along a personal locating beacon (PLB), which uses Global Positioning Satellite technology.

Sheriff’s Aviation Copter-1, Sheriff’s Deputies and members of the SB County Search and Rescue all responded to the call. Twelve members of SAR began a search from the ground while two SAR members, who are EMT certified, joined two Sheriff’s Aviation pilots in Sheriff’s Copter-1 for the search from the air.

Shortly after 10am, Copter-1 located the lone backpacker who had taken refuge in a park ranger cabin at Southfork Camp, some 14 miles from Nira Campground. The man says that he had a seizure the day before which caused him to fall and injure his neck. After the SAR EMT’s examined the man, Santa Barbara County Fire’s Copter 309 was summoned. Copter 309 transported the man to an AMR ambulance at Cachuma Saddle at approximately 11:44am. The man’s injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

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