Sunday, June 8, 2008

Hiking expedition ends tragically

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

A hiking trip ended in tragedy on Sunday after authorities found the body of a Goleta man in a remote area of the Los Padres National Forest.

Two friends, and possibly a third, were hiking in the Hurricane Deck area of the forest on Saturday afternoon when one hiker, 23-year-old Jackson Still, began experiencing symptoms consistent with heatstroke or dehydration, sheriff’s officials said. At least one other hiker left his friend in search of help, walking out of the rugged wilderness.
After arriving at a campground, the hiker contacted authorities, who sent out sheriff’s deputies and a search and rescue team, along with a search helicopter, sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Alex Tipolt said.
Rescuers combed the area for the missing man
into the evening before spotting him by helicopter on a high ridgeline after the search picked up again early Sunday morning.
When they reached the scene, authorities discovered he had died, Sgt. Tipolt said. No information on the official cause of death was immediately available.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I knew him, he was my brothers friend.

Piper said...

Such a sad story. Hurricane Deck did not burn much in the fire. The trail is very difficult to follow and there's absolutely no water and very little shade. It's best not to hike there between June and November.

I am currently hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and have gotten used to carrying up to 5 liters of water in my pack. It's very heavy but the only way to survive such harsh conditions. Hurricane Deck is as harsh as any conditions I've experienced on the PCT, including the Mojave desert.

Stay safe, carry a ton of water and bring something salty. Wear a broad-brimmed hat and don't hike in the heat of the day. Also, bring a saw or loppers if you plan to hike the Deck. The trail is almost impossible to hike without something to cut your way through.