Hi. This post relates to Mt. Whitney and this Board in the following ways:
1. Many of you who plan on climbing Mt. Whitney and live in the SoCal area train regularly on Mt. Baldy and other local mountains
2. There has been quite a bit of discussion surrounding the recent search and rescue activities there ("Tragedy on Mt. Baldy")
3. Having hung out on this board for quite awhile, it appears that quite a few of you are "runners" - and that's what this post is about!
The West Valley Search and Rescue is holding their annual "Run for Rescue & Safety Fair" 5K/10K run and safety fair on Saturday, April 24th in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
WVSAR is the SAR team responsible for Mt. Baldy and surrounding areas*.
What you may not know is that SAR teams in San Bernardino County are NOT financially supported by the county nor other government entity. They are 100% supported by donations and contributions and via fund raising events. Believe it or not!
This is one of two fund raisers that WVSAR holds during the year to raise funds to support it's activities.
It's a great run and is USATF sanctioned, plus a fun event (Safety Fair, rescue gear on display, etc.) at the same time. Thought you all might be interested, whether for the run itself, or because you might want to support the very valuable activities of WVSAR (Federal 501(C)(3) non-profit organization - tax deductible). After all, there might come a time when one of you, or a friend, or family member might be in need of their help.
So, here's some links:
<a href="http://www.westvalleysar.org">WVSAR Home Page</a>
<a href="http://www.westvalleysar.org/Race/race%202004%20040208.htm">Run for Rescue Page</a>
<a href="http://www.westvalleysar.org/Race/wvsar_run.pdf">Run for Rescue Entry Form (pdf)</a>
If you'd like to help earn me some "brownie points" (worth nothing but goodwill from my fellow team members), I'd appreciate it if you could write my callsign "2 R 13" on the bottom of the entry form! Thanks! And, thanks for your support!
Sincerely,
A WVSAR "Probie" (new, probationary member)
*West Valley SAR's area of responsibility is the Cucamonga Wilderness in the San Bernardino and Angeles National Forest. The area of response includes all mountain and county areas west of Lytle Creek to the Los Angeles County Line and from Mt. Baldy Peak, South to Chino Hills, including the Chino Hills State Park. Due to the vast terrain in the response area, this team is fully equipped and trained to respond to Search and Rescue efforts in alpine, mountain, urban and desert areas. Our rescue unit responds in the West Valley area of San Bernardino County in addition to the mutual assistance of nearby San Bernardino County teams as well as assisting the bordering Los Angeles and Orange County SAR teams. Over 40% of the team's calls are responding to the Cucamonga Canyon where the perilous ridges and walls of the canyon frequently entice and capture hikers and climbers. The San Antonio Falls also offers the hiker an opportunity for trouble. Our response area also includes the San Gabriel Mountain range including the three T's; Thunder, Telegraph, Timber, as well as Ontario and Cucamonga Peaks. The backside of Mt. Baldy, (elevation over 10,000 ft.) offers the kind of outback terrain that has been compared to Whistler in British Columbia and Crested Butte in Colorado. Due to the radical terrain, this spectacular mountain is responsible for 24% of our rescues. Bordering on Orange County, the Chino Hills State Park is one of the largest parks in the California State Park system. While not receiving the notoriety it deserves, the remaining 2% of our efforts are attributed to the tedious but mostly successful task of urban and evidence searches.
