Montrose Search and Rescue – Snowbound on Mt. Baldy

In 1991, on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, boyfriend/girlfriend Chris and Cynthia set off on their traditional turkey-burning hike to Mt. Baldy peak from the top of the ski lifts. With them were Chris’ two young daughters, a third girl, a friend of the daughters, and Chris’ 11-year-old nephew Ryan. They rode the ski lift up the mountain and started the fairly short hike to the peak at 1 p.m. The lift operator warned them that the weather was looking stormy, but it was only an hour and a half hike to the peak, so they felt they could beat the storm. The three young girls ran out of gas quickly, so Chris took them back to the ski lift while Cynthia and Ryan pushed on. Other hikers saw the pair at the 10,000-foot summit, and by 5 p.m. the storm hit and everyone fled the mountain. The ski lift operator noticed that Cynthia and Ryan had not returned and called authorities.

Meanwhile up on the mountain, Cynthia and Ryan had taken the wrong trail back to the ski lift and had gotten lost. The temperature dropped quickly and the wind began to gust alarmingly. By 7 p.m. it was full dark, and wind gusts of up to 100 mph mixed with snow were now hitting the pair. They had no food and water and wearing only light jackets. But both were in good physical condition.

Cynthia pulled branches off a downed tree, stacked them and pushed snow against them to create a shelter where the two hunkered down. Cynthia had a book of matches in her pocket and they were able to start a small fire. The temperature dropped into the teens. Cynthia and Ryan stayed awake all night, shivering and feeding wood into the fire.

Search and rescue teams from all along the foothills had been called out – Montrose, San Dimas, Sierra Madre and others – nine teams in all. But in the ferocity of the storm the searchers could barely walk, let alone scour the mountainside. Search teams literally were forced to crawl on hands and knees against the wind.

Saturday was no better weather-wise. The lost pair tried to keep the fire going in the snow-filled air even feeding dollar bills into the sputtering flames. Helicopters tried to brave the bad weather but visibility was low. Frustratingly, the lost pair could hear the copters. They waved their arms, but couldn’t be seen. 

Saturday night was a blur to the suffering hikers. The fire was dying and Ryan’s legs were numb as frostbite began to take hold. The temps registered as low as 13 degrees, and wind chill put it way below zero. They prayed and talked of warm beds, hot baths and French toast. Ryan remembered crying and the fire went out entirely.

Ryan’s parents had given up hope and by Saturday night were sure their son was dead. Despairing, the couple actually created a eulogy for him. Sunday morning in desperation they visited a psychic. The psychic clutched one of Ryan’s hats and declared that he was still alive.

Sure enough, on Sunday morning the weather broke somewhat. Searchers were able to push further through the snow. At 11 a.m. Sunday morning Cynthia and Ryan, hunkered down in their makeshift shelter, heard the unmistakable crackle of a handheld radio and a voice. They began yelling as a rescuer rounded a corner and came into view.

Down below, Ryan’s parents, encouraged by the psychic’s words, were headed back up the mountain. They got the call that two people had been found, that Ryan and Cynthia were safe, and were being brought out by helicopter. They sobbed as the rescue copter landed and the two lost hikers were loaded into ambulances for the ride to the hospital to be checked over. Forty-three hours in freezing temperatures, clad in thin clothing, with no food or water, but they were okay, save for mild frostbite on their feet. They had both faced death, but had survived.

Cynthia later gave back to her rescuers. She joined the Montrose SAR team, and is still a member today.

  mike lawler