Springtime flooding makes hiking dangerous for Cottonwood friends

BACK TO CIVILIZATION:
After an air rescue from a camping trip gone sour, from left, Everett Duncan, Jake Warner, Darien Berroteran and Everett’s dog Blaza reconvened in Cottonwood for a barbecue.

Three friends from Cottonwood were airlifted out of a camping trip in Beegum Gorge near Platina on April 29 after Victoria Duncan reported her son and two friends were overdue.

The trio - Everett Duncan, 25, Darien Berroteran, 37, and Jake Warner, 34 - set out on their camping trip to the Beegum Gorge area on Monday, April 27.

"I used to go hiking there with my dad in the summertime," said Berroteran. However, he had never seen the area flood in the spring as it did last week.

On Tuesday, the hikers were dismayed to find the gulch flooded. They hiked 10 hours trying to find a path out of the gorge.

"We weren't lost," Duncan said. "It was all about making it down the creek. We just ran out of time," continued Berroteran, explaining that the group knew to hike downstream to a bridge where they would get out of the gulch. "We were cold and wet and tired."

Instead of trying to hike out at night, the three pitched camp in 20 degree weather. In the meantime Duncan's mother, Victoria, became concerned and called the Shasta County Sheriff's Office at 11:30 p.m.

"We knew for sure somebody would call, we had to work the next day," Duncan said, noting he and Berroteran both work at the Cowgirl Cafe in Red Bluff.

The night passed without further incident on a gravel bar in the river.

The trio awoke when they heard a CHP helicopter at daybreak.

"As soon as the sun hit, they were there," Warner said.

The helicopter circled the campsite then flew off to refuel. When it returned, the pilot offered to lift the three men out and leave the dog or provide the group with a GPS device and let them hike out on their own.

"I've had the dog for nine years," Everett said.

"We all agreed he's one of the crew," Berroteran said of the animal.

CHP Officer Tyler then offered the trio a third choice: Berroteran and Warner were lifted out first. After refeuling, the pilot then retrieved a sedative for the dog so that it, too, could be airlifted out. Officer Tyler and Everett were then retrieved.

"That guy was great," Everett said.