Pasadena Sun
Unseasonably cool temperatures and penny-pinching may be drawing more hikers to local mountains and trails, triggering an uptick in mountain rescues this year, officials said.
So far this year, there have been 50 mountain rescues for the Verdugo region, which includes Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale and nine other foothill cities, said Glendale Fire Battalion Chief Greg Godfrey. There were 56 rescues in all of 2010.
He said there is a correlation between the number of hikers rescued and the economic recession.
“People are staying closer to home,” Godfrey said.
Four years ago, the Verdugo dispatch area logged 19 mountain rescues.
Ample water sources in the Angeles National Forest could also be encouraging more hikers to visit their local mountains, Forest Service spokeswoman Sherry Rollman said.
With more residents visiting the region’s mountainous trails, local fire departments have worked double duty to rescue stranded hikers who become overwhelmed or injured.
“During this time of year, it seems like almost every weekend, we are up there,” said Lisa Derderian, spokeswoman for the Pasadena Fire Department.
