Just after 2 p.m. Sunday, Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue (SBCSAR) personnel responded with Montecito Fire and AMR for a person in distress about two miles up the San Ysidro Trail.
Search & Rescue members described temperatures in excess of 100 degrees at the trailhead and much higher in the upper part of the mountain face.
Due to the extreme heat, a Red Flag Warning was in place through the Labor Day weekend, meaning that hikers, trail runners, mountain bikers and especially those with dogs should use extreme caution when venturing out on the trails.
Though no fatalities have been reported in the Santa Barbara area due to the heat, a middle-aged woman died while hiking on one of the Malibu Creek State Park trails when temperatures soared to more than 110 degrees.
Later Sunday, the California Department of Parks and Recreation announced closure of all Santa Monica Mountains hiking trails through 5 p.m. Monday due to the heat.
Heat-Related Stress
The victim was reportedly out for a run to the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains in the midday, and was starting to head back down the San Ysidro Trail when he began to experience severe leg cramps.
As a result he was not able to continue down the trail. Fortunately he had his cell phone with him, but unfortunately, with poor cell phone coverage, initially the rescue team was not able to determine his exact location.
When the victim was able to call out a second time from a slightly different location, it was determined that he wasclose to or slightly above the San Ysidro waterfall area.
Search & Rescue then hiked in with Montecito Fire medics to the victim’s location. After determining that he would be unable to continue down on his own, the patient was loaded into a wheeled rescue litter basket for transport down the trail.
Due to the difficult terrain and unstable conditions, Search & Rescue established a number of belay stations along the way to aid rescuers on the descent down the trail.
The patient and medic were transferred to a SAR vehicle for transport down the fire road and to the waiting AMR ambulance for the trip to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for additional care and evaluation.
Use Caution on Extreme Weather Days
SBCSAR urges those who would like to use the trails during periods of extreme heat to carry plenty of water, get out early and off the trail by mid-morning and to make sure to bring a fully charged cell phone with you as a backup.
The Team also recommends letting someone know where you are going and when to expect you back and to have at least one other with you if at all possible.