Troubled Hiker Rescued From Cactus To Clouds Trail
A search-and-rescue helicopter helped Palm Springs police search for a hiker who called in needing help.
The hiker called police at 2:45pm, saying he was overheated and needed assistance coming down from the Cactus and Clouds Trail in Palm Springs.
Police found the man at 3:30pm, when temperatures were near 110-degrees. He was airlifted off the trail and transported by ambulance.
According to a hiking website, “the Cactus to Clouds hike to San Jacinto Peak at almost 11,000 feet in elevation affords an interesting challenge for the extreme day hiker, going from the Palm Springs desert floor to one of the tallest mountain peaks in southern California. Are there any other places one can hike over 10,000 feet up in a continuous one day hike? It’s 16 miles up and 6 miles down to a tram, a welcome return trip to the bottom.
“The environmental factors can be immense: Distance, vertical feet, heat, cold, heavy load of water, high altitude effects, and scrambling over parts of an unclear trail. And during winter snow is possible,” the article said.
