Alaska Woman Airlifted Off Mountainside Above Palm Springs

A sheriff's helicopter crew airlifted an Alaska woman with unspecified medical problems off a mountainside above Palm Springs on Saturday evening, a sheriff's sergeant in Cabazon said.

A call for help just after 6 p.m. Saturday indicated seven women hiking on the Skyline Trail were overdue, Sgt. Steve Fredericks of the sheriff's Cabazon Station said.

The Skyline Trail starts at multiple trailheads around 2,000 feet elevation in Palm Springs, and ascends steep, shadeless slopes about 6,000 feet to Long Valley and the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway mountain station.

Limited natural water sources on the trail dry up during summer months.

Just after 7 p.m., Mt. San Jacinto State Park rangers and a Riverside County Sheriff's helicopter crew located the women in a clearing, about one hour's hike from the Palm Springs Tram base station, Fredericks said.

Rangers and deputies contacted the group and learned one of the women "was experiencing medical problems, and could not continue the hike," Fredericks said.

The helicopter crew airlifted Kristine Masneri, 46, of Anchorage, off the mountain and flew her to Desert Regional Medical Center, where she received medical treatment, Fredericks said.

The rest of the women were able to continue their trip, Fredericks said.

"The Riverside County Sheriff's Department would like to remind hiking enthusiasts that adequate hydration, hiking in groups, and communication devices are all essential elements of a safe and successful hiking excursion," Fredericks said in a statement.

Extreme temperature changes occur in the mountains on both sides of the San Gorgonio Pass, during all seasons.

Anyone with further information was urged to contact the Cabazon Sheriff's Station at (951) 922-7100 or send an email to CabazonStation@RiversideSheriff.org.