PCT hiker dies near Anza

A hiker died Thursday on a remote stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail near Anza after deputies were called for a medical emergency and an aviation rescue was requested because the area was far from the nearest paved road. Riverside County sheriff’s officials told Backpacker deputies were dispatched at 11:48 a.m. on April 9 near Coyote Canyon Road, around mile 140 of the trail. (backpacker.com) Early local reports showed how hard the location was to reach. Valley News said responders were sent at 12:14 p.m. to the backcountry area near Bear Track Court and Old Cattle Trail, where a hoist rescue was being planned. (myvalleynews.com) By later that day, the rescue had turned into a death investigation. Backpacker reported that deputies reached the hiker, provided medical aid, and pronounced the person dead at the scene. (backpacker.com) This happened on one of the most isolated parts of the Pacific Crest Trail’s Southern California desert section. The Pacific Crest Trail Association says the full trail runs 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada, and the Anza area sits in the opening California miles where hikers are still crossing hot, exposed terrain. (pcta.org, pcta.org) That stretch near Coyote Canyon Road is also a place where distance turns a routine emergency into an air operation. The Forest Service says the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail passes through vast, rugged landscapes, and Riverside County authorities said this call needed the sheriff’s aviation unit because ground access alone was too slow. (fs.usda.gov, backpacker.com) The timing matters too. Pacific Crest Trail long-distance hikers starting in Southern California usually begin in spring, and the Pacific Crest Trail Association limits permits for trips starting south of Sonora Pass between March 1 and May 31 because that is peak northbound season. (permit.pcta.org, pcta.org) Officials have not publicly released the hiker’s name or the cause of the medical emergency. Patch reported the death was confirmed after the backcountry rescue effort in remote Riverside County, and further details were still limited as of April 10. (patch.com, backpacker.com) What remains is a stark picture of how quickly trouble can outpace help on a long trail. A call that began with a hoist rescue near Anza ended with a death on scene, on a section of trail where even reaching a patient can require deputies, firefighters, and a helicopter. (myvalleynews.com, backpacker.com)