Rescued hiker was 'never cold' on Mount Charleston

Well, it wasn't exactly "Into the Wild."

Greg Rudowsky's experience as a stranded hiker on Mount Charleston on Thursday can best be described as an extra night of camping.

Rudowsky, 60, and Tiki, his 9-year-old golden retriever, had a tent, warm clothing, two sleeping bags, sleeping mats, food, water and a personal locator that had accurately broadcast their GPS coordinates.

Essentially, they were in no real danger before being rescued by helicopter Friday morning.

"We were never cold," said Rudowsky at a news conference at the North Las Vegas Airport on Friday.

Rudowsky, an experienced hiker, seemed slightly apologetic and embarrassed when asked about being rescued.

"I just didn't want to put these guys out," he said, referring to the search-and-rescue team that found him.

Rudowsky said the initial plan was to hike Lee Canyon's Bonanza Trail on Wednesday, camp overnight and leave Thursday morning.

But he never checked the weather forecast.

When he woke up on Thursday, Rudowsky said there were several feet of snow on the ground and more falling each minute. He had camped slightly off the trail, and his GPS wasn't matching his location, he said.

As a precaution, Rudowsky activated the "SOS" function on his personal locator. That device also notified his wife, Robin, that he was lost but OK.

Police were notified Thursday morning but were unable to hike the trail because of the bad weather.

The rescue was suspended until Friday after Rudowsky told police he could safely spend another night. When the clouds broke the next morning, the helicopter arrived, and an officer hoisted him and Tiki to safety.

"Ten minutes after I saw sun, they were there," he said of the helicopter.

Sgt. Gavin Vesp said Rudowsky was camped at 9,600 feet, which meant lots of snow and tough hiking for officers.

His team wanted to pull Rudowsky out on Thursday but retreated after dark.

Because Rudowksy was so prepared, they never felt lives were at risk, he said.

"We felt good, that we knew where he was," Vesp said. "We didn't believe he was out in the elements, exposed."

He said the actual helicopter rescue was "routine."

Officer Jim Rogan said Rudowsky had the proper equipment and the proper mindset, which made their job easier.

Though it was 18 degrees outside, neither Rudowsky nor Tiki was affected.

"They were in the best possible shape they could have been," Rogan said.

"He could have lasted a week out there," he added.

Rudowsky said he had never hiked Bonanza Trail before but had experience on Mount Charleston -- and in cold weather.

Originally from New York, Rudowsky said he owns a home in Canmore, in Alberta, Canada, where he lives six months a year.

He also spends time in South Dakota and Las Vegas, he said.

Southern Nevada's scenic lands attract out-of-state adventure seekers who sometimes underestimate the vastness and remoteness of destinations in the Spring Mountains and Red Rock Canyon, regardless if they set out in the cold of winter or heat of summer.

About an hour before the cloud layer lifted Friday over Lee Canyon so the rescue helicopter could fly to Rudowsky's location, a Las Vegas couple strapped on snowshoes at the Upper Bristlecone trail head and set out for a recreational trek through the thigh-deep snow. They said they would keep an eye out for the stranded man and his dog.

"It won't be the first hiker we helped out of the woods," Andrew Vaughan said.

Vaughan and his wife, Leann, had stumbled across a lost hiker from New England this summer in Red Rock Canyon. They reached him before rescue helicopters arrived and guided him out of the Calico Tanks area.

Vesp said he thinks Rudowsky's personal locator was a vital tool to making a relatively quick rescue.

When bad weather happens, police need as much as help as possible, he said.

Otherwise, "it would have been extremely difficult to nearly impossible," he said.

Review-Journal writer Keith Rogers contributed to this report. Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.

Trending topics:

• Las Vegas police
• Mount Charleston
• stranded hiker

Comments

Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.

1. MIKE VEGAS Dec. 5, 2011 | 3:56 p.m. Report Abuse

   THIS IS A STAGED RESCUE. THIS MAN WAS NEVER LOST OR IN DANGER. THE RESCUE TEAM STAGED THIS TO KEEP THEIR FUNDING AND AVOID LAYOFFS. I'M NOT BUYING INTO THIS STORY IN THE LEAST. DO NOT GET SUCKERED.

2. mrnoitall Dec. 3, 2011 | 10:23 p.m. Report Abuse

   Jeeeez.. Enough already! This is no big deal. Nobody got hurt, Metro didn't shoot anybody, Harry Ried didn't have anything to do with it. So move on for crying out loud! Get over it.

3. tl.lane Dec. 3, 2011 | 9:14 p.m. Report Abuse

   frankly, i find it all very suspicious....for a guy as prepared as he was and he supposedly "forgot" or failed to check the weather, the single most concerning factor relevant to the mission, is just unbelievable.....and why TWO sleeping bags?, he says he has experience on mt. charleston, if so then he should know that ITS WINTER and IT SNOWS in winter and mt. charlston is well known for snow. I think he purposely did this for attention......there just seems to be no other logiical reason.

4. vegas hiker Dec. 3, 2011 | 3:54 p.m. Report Abuse

   Everybody is so concerned about the money. I guess we should be because we may not have enough for the 51% of society that is collecting government money for? Why do we give out welfare?

5. Jack.Webb Dec. 3, 2011 | 3:53 p.m. Report Abuse

   "ihatelasvegas wrote on December 03, 2011 12:12 PM:"
   
   That's okay, we hate you too.

6. skipsdog Dec. 3, 2011 | 1:28 p.m. Report Abuse

   ihatelasvegas... I really hope I am the ambulance driver when your call for emergency comes in.

7. desert1 Dec. 3, 2011 | 12:47 p.m. Report Abuse

   To further my other comment:
   Experienced means self rescue unless in a life threatening situation.Where were his snowshoes ? how bout hte couple on snowshoes who went out for hike the next day Did they call for a rescue ??? This just adds to the argument that anybody who gets in the least bit difficulty can just 'cry rescue' and help will come get their newbie butt out of 'danger'. The mountains are a serious environment, if your not prepared for anything and everything up there you have no business being there.

8. ihatelasvegas Dec. 3, 2011 | 12:12 p.m. Report Abuse

   If he was an experienced hiker, which I doubt, he would have checked the weather report before he left. He had no business being up there and even less business bringing his dog. He should be billed for every cent that the rescue cost which I think he planned all along to get his 15 minutes of fame. After he pays the bill, he can go back to Alberta. And hopefully stay there.

9. 40-oz Dec. 3, 2011 | 10:19 a.m. Report Abuse

   "Rudowsky, 60, and Tiki, his 9-year-old golden retriever, had a tent, warm clothing, two sleeping bags, sleeping mats, food, water and a personal locator that had accurately broadcast their GPS coordinates". --- I would have needed a pack animal to tote all that gear. Maybe that dog is something like the Grinch's dog. Glad he and dog are ok.

10. notacon2 Dec. 3, 2011 | 9:58 a.m. Report Abuse

    He should be embarassed that he felt he had to call for help. He should have hoofed it out on his own. The guy is totally unexperienced for winter in the mountains and should not have been up there.

Read All Comments