Missing hiker found safe on Saturday
Jackman, 72, was found by a helicopter
A missing hiker was found safe Saturday afternoon by a helicopter, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Thomas Jackman, 72, of Sun Valley, was found by a California Air National Guard Helicopter in the area of Lunch Meadow inside the Sequoia National Park around 1:30 p.m. Saturday. He had been missing since Wednesday, June 13, night.
Jackman was airlifted to the command post at Black Rock Station. He was reunited with his lifelong friend and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and then released to his family.
Aside from being tired and hungry, Jackman was in good condition, TCSO reported.
Emergency personnel began searching for a missing man inside Sequoia National Park on Friday.
According to the missing person’s
traveling partner, they went hiking on Wednesday, June 13. The two walked into the woods on Woodpecker Trail off of Sherman Pass Road in the Domeland Wilderness area, TCSO reported.
Somewhere near Woodpecker Trail and Dark Canyon Trail, Jackman hurt his knee. His friend says he told Jackman to stay put, and he would leave to get help. That was around 5:30 p.m.
When the friend walked back down Dark Canyon Trail and to where he told
Jackman to stay, he wasn’t there. The friend walked back to the trailhead on Woodpecker Trail, thinking Jackman might have tried to walk back on his own. But he wasn’t there either.
The friend then stayed the night there hoping Jackman would return. He tracked down US Forest Service personnel on Thursday, June 14, and that is when Tulare County Sheriff’s Office deputies were notified, around 12:15 p.m.
A resident deputy responded to the trailhead around 3:30 p.m. and met with the friend to start gathering information.
The CHP Helicopter
conducted a late afternoon overflight, as well as an evening flight, but did not locate Jackman. A TCSO deputy stayed the night at the trailhead until more search and rescue personnel arrived.
Around 8:30 Friday morning, quick-response search and rescue ream arrived and hiked 10-12 miles to find Jackman, but were unable to locate him. A National Guard Air Unit arrived on scene at 2 p.m. and searched until 6 p.m. and were back in the air Saturday.
More search and rescue responders were called in Friday night and Saturday.