I was urged by my mother and the mother of the 2 other guys to call the proper authorities since 10pm. I kept saying that they are fine and didn't officially make the call til almost 1am.

. . . In conclusion, my brother and I have decided to go back tomorrow morning to search for the gear granted it hasn't been bootied by another climber looking for free treasure. . .

The helivac was more for the mothers' peace of minds.

No one has asked for these guys age? Something tells me they were barely able to drive. If I let my sun go to the local caig by himself and expected him home by 6 or so, if he hadn't shown up by 9pm I would be at the cliff, if there was still no contact by 11pm I would make the call. Sounds like if we take age in to account it makes more since, maybe not.

To all those that said what 24 hours to make a call, a lot can happen in 24 hours. In my SAR training its always been better the less time a party has been gone. SAR would much rather be called out and you self rescue. Then to be too late and have to do a body recovery. Amount of time that should be waited to make a call does relate to how long you have been gone. Its hard to be 24 hours late from a 4 hour trip to the sport craig and ever thing be ok.

To Everyone:

Obviously there are mixed reviews about this situation. If you can relate, the 2 noobs who went with my brother weren't well versed in the outdoor goodness. Next, I was urged by my mother and the mother of the 2 other guys to call the proper authorities since 10pm. I kept saying that they are fine and didn't officially make the call til almost 1am. I was reluctant. They stuck to the plan, which was to bivy in the little cave they found til sunrise, eat the last snickers bar they packed and head to the parking lot. Sure I truly believe they woulda make it out just fine by the morning with the biggest injury being some scratches and bruises and maybe someone catches a cold.

You can talk all the sh!t to me you want. I wasn't the one out there. I'm actually quite experienced in all mountaineering related activities. The helivac was more for the mothers' peace of minds. You can keep lecturing me about how to avoid whatever, but truthfully, I already know! Yea, they were not prepared to tackle the rain while it came right at sunset. The reason gear was left behind bc one of the two noobs didnt bring a pack so he was carrying the harness and all the gear on it by hand or over the shoulder. Obviously it's gonna be an obstacle when you need to scramble around and meanwhile carry a flashlight and not a headlamp (which is a must for any outdoorsman...duh!).

All in all.. ok they deserve to be roasted due to lack to preparation. But is it necessary for everyone and their mom's to start poking? This post was meant for any possible assistance and not for the purpose of being belittled and ridiculed. Yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but anyone lurking in this forum can tell that we are not a band of brothers aka climbers. This post turned into a big part of what we would call the PEANUT GALLERY. Not Cool.

In conclusion, my brother and I have decided to go back tomorrow morning to search for the gear granted it hasn't been bootied by another climber looking for free treasure. My bro just got a GPS today and we have the general coordinates of where the SAR picked them up. Based on that info, we are going in. Honestly I'd like to do a follow up, but at this point, I feel like I'd be making another invitation to get flamed for no reason. Regardless, this incident already happened. They already learned their lesson. No need for everyone to say the same thing over and over again. Sorry if I offended anyone by calling them an a$$hole. But it's hard watching people talk sh!t to my brother when he was only asking for help.

Well, I for one did learn something from this incident. I realized that while I would personally never call for a rescue without being near death, my friends or family might. I have now explained to my wife that should I not return from a trip as scheduled she is not to call SAR until 24 hours have passed, no matter what her instinct says.

This actually reminds me of a very entertaining story.

Are you implying that this isn't a very entertaining story?

Jay

This actually reminds me of a very entertaining story.

...

Sure enough it was him. At this point, with tons of people with in ear shot, I yell up to him "I'M WITH SEARCH AND RESCUE, YOU MOMMY HAS BEEN CALLING OUR DISPATCH NON STOP WORRIED ABOUT YOU. YOU'D BETTER GO CALL HER!"

The laughter from around the crag was priceless.

Unfortunately, I have called SAR once for a couple buddies of mine, and it was not a pleasant experience. I called after them being missing for only a couple hours due to some unusual circumstances. Turns out, I think I made the right call. I should really post up about the whole experience. . .

After hours of going to every single parking spot in the entire park (except for Cottonwood), we finally spotted his car at Intersection Rock.

Unfortunately, I have called SAR once for a couple buddies of mine, and it was not a pleasant experience. I called after them being missing for only a couple hours due to some unusual circumstances. Turns out, I think I made the right call. I should really post up about the whole experience. . .

You were looking for a noob who was allegedly lost/stranded/dead while climbing and you spent hours at campsites in Indian Cove before checking at Intersection? Granted, I would have checked for dead bodies at the base of Double Cross first, then probably Toe Jam, but the bypass probably would have been my third stop.

You have to start with your initial information. That information was that they were camped in Indian Cove. Considering how much climbing is in Indian Cove, it was the right place to start.

That's probably the dumbest lesson you could have learned from this incident.

Here's a thought, though: If you are new to an area, and possibly new to hiking, don't take the obsolete "40–55 minute" approach involving a "faint trail." Take the "25–40 minute" "preferred and most direct" approach; you know, the one the guidebook recommends, and that everyone else takes . . . for some reason.

Jay

Well, I for one did learn something from this incident. I realized that while I would personally never call for a rescue without being near death, my friends or family might. I have now explained to my wife that should I not return from a trip as scheduled she is not to call SAR until 24 hours have passed, no matter what her instinct says.

On a side note, here's a tip from the traddies: Next time you have to carry a harness and gear without a pack, just put the harness on and clip stuff to the gear loops. It's way more convenient than tossing it over your shoulder.

Oh, I didn't see that part. Ok, I would have started my search sifting through the pile of dead bodies at the base of Right V Crack.

Oh, I didn't see that part. Ok, I would have started my search sifting through the pile of dead bodies at the base of Right V Crack.

This business about waiting 24 hours to call for a search is macho nonsense.

Jay, it is pretty obvious, of course.

But what Tipton says has merit, too. The people who are waiting at home for the climber's return need to have guidelines on when to call and raise an alarm, and it is up to the climber (or hiker, or kayaker, or backpacker, etc. etc.) to discuss this.