Hiker fallen on Mogollon rim area

[Dschur]

Hiker falls 100 feet, found by volunteers
Coconino Search and Rescue locates man at Woods Canyon

By Max Foster, Roundup staff reporter

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Although the Coconino County seat of Flagstaff is more than 130 miles from Woods Canyon Lake, it was that county's search and rescue unit that responded to a call for help from near the high country lake.

"We are the second largest county so we have a lot to cover," said Gerry Blair of the Coconino County Sheriff's Office. "The lake is in our county."

The incident began to unfold June 1 when the CCSO received a report of an overdue hiker from near Woods Canyon.

Hours later, a Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter from Flagstaff spotted a 31-year-old Flagstaff man near the Woods Canyon Lake rim.

Minutes earlier, deputies had found his car parked near Fox Ranch Road.

Due to the Rim's rugged terrain, CC Search and Rescue volunteers were called to hike into the area, Blair said.

The rescuers eventually found the Flagstaff man who had fallen earlier in the day and injured his head.

Rescuers carried the man to safety and later transported to the Flagstaff Medical Center for care.

His condition is unknown and he could not be reached for comment.

From the location he was found, investigators suspect he might have tumbled or fallen as far as 100 feet.

In Coconino County, Search and Rescue (SAR) is made of a full-time sergeant, deputies and more than 100 unpaid volunteers who are specially trained.

The unit averages over 130 mission calls each year and volunteers donate about 2,600 hours to searches.

It was the Coconino SAR who last week recovered the body of 40-year-old Payson pilot Kermeth S. Owens after his single engine homemade plane crashed on the eastern border of the county in the Navajo Nation.

The rescue unit also responded last week to a call for help near the Arizona-Utah border. There, searches found a 17-year-old boy who had fallen to his death while hiking.

"Like I said, we cover a lot of area," Blair sa

[chumley]

That area of the Mogollon Rim is in a real authority vacuum due to it's location. I recall trying to report an unauthorized campfire once and spent several hours trying to reach the correct authority. While it is in Coconino County, as with SAR, sheriff and fire are located in Flagstaff, a very long trip to the area. Coconino NF is also based in Flag, while ASNF offices are in the White Mtns. I attempted reporting to Forest Lakes fire, who couldn't do anything because they are in Navajo (or Apache) county, not Coconino. I also reported at Christopher Creek, but again, that's Gila, with HQ in Globe, and Tonto NF won't go above the rim either. It was an exercise in frustration, and I learned a lot about the bureaucracy of our government. In the end nobody ever visited the campsite with the fire. Luckily it was extinguished without incident.

But I would hope that in an emergency situation such as this that county authorities and SAR would deploy resources from the closest location, even when it's across one of those imaginary lines. Certainly it would be quicker to deploy SAR from Payson or Show Low to Woods Canyon Lake than from Flagstaff.

[Jim]

You should have just reported seeing a fire, they would have sent 150 men from a several hand crews, 2 tankers, 3 engines, and a helitack crew.

[hikeaz]

I emailed the author of that story. The hiker/climber was in Woods Canyon, not on the Rim and no where near Woods Canyon Lake. Plus; where are there 100' cliffs around Woods Canyon Lake?
Respecfully, these writers should do a bit of homework when writing these articles. At least locate Fox Ranch Road on a map and extrapolate from there.
The GOOD news (for the hiker/climber) is that at least the writer wasn't moonlighting as the SAR dispatcher.

[nonot]

Wow, Woods Canyon would be a tough place to pull a man out of, he was pretty lucky!

[joebartels]

found his car parked near Fox Ranch Road

50 direct miles from Woods Canyon Lake

where are there 100' cliffs around Woods Canyon Lake?

maybe he climbed a ponderosa and jumped

The GOOD news (for the hiker/climber) is that at least the writer wasn't moonlighting as the SAR dispatcher.

Wonder if the report would be any different...

It's like listening to the local weather guys talk about the cool pines in Prescott & Payson in the July.

[big_load]

OK, now I feel better. I looked at a map when I read the story and was nothing but confused.