Cabazon Deputies Called On to Help Rescue Stranded Hikers

Three hikers from Irvine were home safely Monday after spending an unexpected night at the upper Palm Springs tram station with members of the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit, a Riverside County Sheriff's sergeant said.

Keith Irvine, Ali Deway and Matt Ashcraft used cellphones to contact the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Saturday afternoon stating they were stranded at the 7,000 ft. elevation at the base of a steep incline near Skyline Trail and could not hike down, said Riverside County sheriff Sgt. Kirk Steines of the Cabazon Station.

The sheriff's Aviation Unit responded at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday and located the hikers at about 7 p.m., Steines said.

"Due to the rough terrain the Aviation Unit was not able to drop off members of the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit and supplied the hikers with cold weather clothing and sleeping bags until RMRU was able to hike to their location," he said.

Rescuers reached the hikers at about 10 p.m. and walked with them back to the upper tram station where they spent the night, Steines said. They rode to the lower tram station at 6 a.m. Sunday.

"The hikers were uninjured and appeared to be in good spirits. They did not require medical treatment," he said.

– City News Service.