Missing volunteer found near Wrights Lake
By Michelle Ponto, News 10
A Shingle Springs man is found alive after being missing for more than 24 hours near Wrights Lake.
El Dorado County Search and Rescue teams searched for 65-year old Chris Chaloupka, the missing U.S. Forest Service volunteer Saturday and Sunday before locating him shortly before 9pm Sunday.
El Dorado County Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Cathey told News10 that a team heard a whistle in a distance and then brought in a search dog who located him. Once found he was said to be sitting up and talking but that he was unable to walk his own.
Cathey told News Ten a Calstar rescue helicopter used night vision goggles to land near the injured man’s location where he was then taken to a hospital to be checked out.
Wow, this reflects very poorly on the Forest Service. If a member of the party is lagging behind, at least one other member of the party should stay with them.
Seriously. Isn’t the “buddy system” one of the basics of staying safe in the wilderness?
Also, the News 10 report said the missing man was described as having a “poor” level of fitness. I like to think that the USFS would decline my offer to help with trail maintenance if I were judged to be less than fit.
So we’re sticking with the old ‘blame the USFS’ routine?
Knowbears, so who is supposed to “judge to be less than fit?” My god I hope we never get to a point where an organization is supposed to determine the health of volunteers.
Who is in charge of all trail maintenance activity in our national forests, thing fish? Could it be the USFS? Who is responsible for the wellbeing of all maintenance volunteers, thing fish? (What’s heat exhaustion & how does one avoid/recognize it? How does one monitor one’s own level of wellbeing– flagging physical energy, emotional disinterest, mental lost of attentiveness?) Could responsibility for maintenance crews being so simply educated lie in the purview of the USFS, thing fish? When a member of a troop is lagging behind on the trail, do the more energetic and exuberant members abandon him/her to hurry on, visions of cold beer and good chow clogging their good sense, or does a member or two buddy-up with the slower hiker? Who passes on such safe & sane wisdom of the wilderness to volunteers, thing fish? Hey, how about the authority running the whole show, the USFS?
Were you the USFS employee charged with the safety of that trail crew, thing fish? Sure as hell sounds like it.
Jim. You have no clue what you are talking about.
The man was part of a group, no article mentions if this group is part of an adopt a trail program, or otherwise. If they are, then the program/organization is responsible for the training and safety. The USFS gives out this information, daily safety checklist and the like.
No USFS employee is in charge of the group.
And no, I do not work for the USFS. But nice sleuthing, moron.
So, we still going to irrationally blame the USFS, or have we all matured?