By Mary O’KEEFE

Montrose Search and Rescue (MSR) team had a busy Sunday. The day started out as a training day in the Angeles National Forest but soon the team was responding to distress calls.

“We had received a call [Sunday] morning regarding someone having [a medical issue] at the Mt. Lukens, Haines Canyon area,” said Sgt. John Gilbert, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Dept., Crescenta Valley Station.

Before they arrived though the Los Angeles City Fire Dept. responded to the call and found a male in his 50s who was deceased. His identification is pending notification to next of kin, according to LA County Coroner’s Office.

The MSR team then went back to training but was called out again concerning a hiker who had reportedly slipped and fell in the lower parking lot at Switzer Falls. MSR, as well as the U.S. Forest Service and Los Angeles County Fire Dept., responded. The hiker was treated.

“Later that day, around 1 or 2 [p.m.], there was another call of someone having a lower leg injury by [Switzer] Falls,” Gilbert said.

The MSR team responded and hiked into the area; again U.S. Forest and LA County also responded.

“We found the [hiker] down off the trail on Bear Canyon, which is south of [Switzer Falls],” he said.

That hiker had to be airlifted by LASD to a hospital.

Once MSR finished the day of training and were back at the CV Station another call came in about 5 p.m. – their fourth callout for the day. This time the call was regarding overdue hikers who at also been at Switzer Falls.

“[The hikers] had planned to meet family at 1 p.m.,” Gilbert said.

When the two hikers did not return at the scheduled time their family called sheriff’s department; MSR headed to Switzer Falls.

As they arrived the two hikers walked out of the forest. They had anticipated hiking to the bottom of the Falls but missed a turn in the trail that added “a lot of mileage” to the hike, Gilbert said.

With the weather getting warmer people want to hike. Switzer Falls is a good day hike; however, things can go wrong.

“It is a nice, easy hike but there are a lot of places where you could lose your footing on several trails and miss [trail] markings,” Gilbert said.