Lost Hikers on Valentine Peak
March 12, 2024
At approximately 4pm the Iron County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue (ICSSAR) team was activated to respond to Valentine Peak in Parowan for 2 lost hikers. The responding Iron County Sheriff’s Deputy, Corporal Hilleger, was on scene first and immediately began hiking to the last known GPS location for the lost hikers. The ICSSAR team arrived at approximately 5:00pm and began their ascent up the trail. While the ICSSAR volunteers were hiking up, Corporal Hilleger was able to make contact with the hikers. They were located approximately 400 feet off the trail and were in steep terrain. They were cold, wet, and not prepared for the changing weather conditions. Corporal Hilleger was able to provide the female hiker with an emergency blanket and the male hiker was provided a coat. The SAR volunteers assessed the location of the hikers and Corporal Hilleger and were able to find a route off trail with somewhat level terrain to allow us to reach them in the shortest amount of time. At approximately 530pm the volunteers located Corporal Hilleger and the lost hikers. Before we began the descent down the hikers were provided dry clothing, hand and feet warmers and gloves. The female hikers’ socks were drenched, and her feet were painfully cold. The team removed her shoes and socks, warmed her feet, and then provided her dry socks and wrapped them in plastic to keep them dry for the descent down since her sneakers were soaked. We arrived back to the TH parking lot at approximately 6:15pm. We had 7 total volunteers that responded and 2 Iron County Sheriff’s deputies on scene.
We want to remind everyone of the importance to have proper gear if you plan to recreate, especially during this time of year. The valley temps may be mild but when you get into the higher elevations, the weather can drastically change. We’re thankful the hikers called us sooner rather than later, so we could get them warmed and down before it got dark and much colder.
Photo Credit: Thank you to Corporal Hilleger, Volunteers Curtis Stevenson and Lisa for the photos.
