Advisory

DATE/TIME: Sunday, August 20, 2017 / 6:24 p.m.



INCIDENT: Search and Rescue



LOCATION: Mount Baldy / Goode Canyon



INVOLVED PARTIES: Kathleen Hertzer, a 42-year-old resident of Los Angeles, Lindsay Zimmerman, a 33-year-old resident of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Todd Kranke, a 42-year-old resident of Torrance



SUMMARY:

On Sunday, August 20, 2017, Kathleen Hertzer and Lindsay Zimmerman left the Los Angeles area and drove to the Mount Baldy area for a day hike. They parked their vehicle at Manker Flats, then began hiking up Falls Road at approximately 9:00 a.m. They hiked to the Baldy Notch then continued to the Mount Baldy Summit by way of the Devil’s Backbone trail. Both hikers reached the summit around 1:30 p.m. and rested there before they started their descent.



Hertzer and Zimmerman intended on taking the Baldy Bowl trail back down the mountain to their vehicle. However, they mistakenly left the trail and entered Goode Canyon. When they realized they were no longer on the trail, they attempted to hike up either side of the canyon in search of it. When they could not find the trail, they re-entered Goode Canyon and started hiking toward Mount Baldy summit once again. Hertzer became exhausted, dehydrated, and unable to continue hiking to the summit again. Zimmerman continued the hike back to the summit to look for help. She located another hiker, by the name of Todd Kranke, near the summit and requested his assistance. Kranke pushed the SOS button on his SPOT device to notify authorities help was needed. He then hiked back with Zimmerman to Hertzer’s location where he waited with them for help to arrive.



The International Emergency Response Center received the SOS signal from the SPOT device and contacted the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and provided the hiker’s GPS location. Deputies from the Fontana Station and the Aviation Division responded to the call. The crew (Conner and Heard) of the Department’s patrol helicopter located the hikers in Goode Canyon and obtained their GPS location. The helicopter crew was unable to hoist the hikers off the mountain due to high winds.



The West Valley Search and Rescue team was contacted and responded to assist. Several team members were deployed to assist in searching for Hertzer and Zimmerman. When the team members located the hikers, they were provided food, water, and medically evaluated, prior to being escorted off the mountain.



The West Valley Search & Rescue Team and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department would like to remind all hikers to have the appropriate clothing, food, water, gear and the 10 essentials when hiking in the wilderness.





Refer: Deputy J. Thorp



Station: Fontana Sheriff’s Station



Phone No. 909-356-6767



Case No. 031702359



JOHN McMAHON, Sheriff-Coroner

San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department