After following the recent long and somewhat contentious thread on heat-related risks on Skyline, I decided to comb through RMRU's public descriptions of summertime deaths and rescue missions on Skyline and take some notes. This is in reverse chronological order. I'm sure it isn't a comprehensive list. It's mostly just what I found on RMRU's site.
Mark Alexander, died 2012 May 18, age 54.
High temperature of 92 in Palm Springs. Found on Lykken Trail at 6:10 pm.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/2012052 ... rail-named
Jim Lieser, 2012 May 15, survived
High of 101 in PS. Started hiking down from the tram at 9 am. Made a cell phone call at 4:30 pm at 2500', was helicoptered out.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/2012051 ... ated-hiker
[added May 21 - Ben]
William Carroll, age 65, from Palm Springs, found dead 2009 July 19
http://www.inlandnewstoday.com/story.php?s=9619
http://www.michaelgingrich.com/mytests/Text_List.htm
Robert Allen Liebler, age 64, from Ft. Collins, CO, died 2009 July 18
High of 116 in PS. Liebler and a hiking partner had intended to start up Lykken Trail at 2 am for a c2c. They actually started up at 3:45 a.m. They got lost multiple times in the dark. At 6 am, about 3 miles in (about 2500-3000'?), Liebler started cramping, so he turned around and told his partner to go ahead without him. Liebler was found dead around noon the following day. He was off the trail, about 200 yards away from a tennis club, sitting upright, with water still remaining in his bottle.
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local ... Trail.html
http://www.math.colostate.edu/~betten/BOB/bob.html
http://www.inlandnewstoday.com/story.php?s=9619
http://www.michaelgingrich.com/mytests/Text_List.htm
[added May 21 - Ben]
Alexander Todd Major, died 2009 may 17, age 28.
High of 105 in PS. Started up Skyline at 6 am with his girlfriend. They apparently were not in good enough physical condition for the hike, and turned around at about 4000-5000'. He died at 1:30 pm at the picnic tables (1300').
http://mtsanjacinto.info/viewtopic.php?t=1499
http://www.hikerhell.com/2009/05/man-di ... sert-hike/
2008 Sep 4, survived
Hiker didn't turn left in front of Coffman's Crag, ended up stuck in Chino Cyn. Called 911 on her cell phone, and eventually they talked her out and she exited by herself.
http://www.rmru.org/missions/2008/2008-029.html
Sean Stewart, 2000 July 1, age 32, survived.
High of 106 in PS. Started up Skyline at 10 am. Turned down Tahquitz Cyn for water. Made a signal fire, which went out of control. Rescued by helicopter.
http://www.rmru.org/missions/2000/2000-017.htm
1997 Jun 15, survived
Got lost descending Skyline, wandered into Tahquitz Canyon. Overdue to exit, RMRU found and extricated him in a helicopter.
http://www.rmru.org/missions/1990s/1997-018.htm
Mike Blotter, 1976 Aug 16, survived.
High of 93 in PS. Carrying two army canteens, intending to stay out overnight. Ran out of water at 3800'. Walked out Tahquitz Canyon while RMRU was searching for him on Skyline.
http://www.rmru.org/missions/1970s/1976-038.htm
A common denominator is that a lot of these people seem to have started much too late in the day (in addition to the risk factor of attempting Skyline in the summer at all).
I hadn't known how common it was for people in trouble to end up in Tahquitz Canyon, either because they get lost or because they intentionally decide to retreat that way rather than coming back down Skyline. It would be good to get comments from people who know about Tahquitz Canyon about whether this is a reasonable last-ditch survival strategy. Apparently there is water there, and I suppose it might have some shade, so if you're in danger of dying of heat stroke, maybe it makes sense to go there...? But it violates the rule of staying put when you're in trouble so that people can find you, and it also sounds like the majority of these people are unable to get out of Tahquitz Canyon under their own power, and have to be helicoptered out.
A lot of people got lost. Clearly anybody who's not pretty familiar with the trail should not be attempting it alone. I'm sure a lot of people doing it for the first time don't understand that it's really a cross-country route with a use trail along parts of it. They probably hear "Skyline Trail" and imagine a maintained trail.