Body believed to be that of missing hiker is found on Mt. Baldy

After scouring Mt. Baldy for days, search crews Wednesday found a body believed to be that of a hiker who went missing over the weekend.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said a rescue team member spotted what authorities believe to be the body of Michelle Yu, an experienced 49-year-old hiker from Venice. Crews found the body northwest of the mountain, in a steep, cold and unforgiving area void of vegetation, said Jodi Miller, a public information officer with the Sheriff’s Department.

“The area is extremely treacherous,” Miller said. “It’s very, very steep.”

Although authorities believe the body is Yu, officials are still waiting for positive identification. The identification and cause of death will be determined by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.

Because of the terrain, crews could not remove the body Wednesday evening but plan to do so early Thursday.

Yu’s roommate reported her missing Sunday, when she failed to return home. Yu signed the log book at the Sierra Hut Trail head about 8:30 a.m. Saturday. She planned to hike Baldy Peak and then walk to Baldy Notch, where she would take the ski lift down the mountain.

U.S. Forest Service officials found Yu’s vehicle near the intersection of Mt. Baldy and Falls roads. Dozens of search-and-rescue volunteers from San Bernardino, Los Angeles and San Diego counties searched for Yu for days.

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-- Nicole Santa Cruz

Comments

[Ben]

Damn. Sad to hear she passed away there. Like everyone, I was hoping she was alive.

RIP

[Olden_Atwoody]

No mention of the gear (or lack of) this "experienced" hiker carried.

[McCrazy]

Hiking alone is really never a good idea, no matter how experienced you are.

[John Tompkins]

The details of this tragedy don't make much sense. To descend from the peak of Mt. Baldy, you go directly east down the ridge until you strike the Mt. Baldy road at the top of the tramway.

Going northwest would (obviously) be very dangerous.

Could Yu have been disoriented by hypothermia or something?

[mikeohara]

McCrazy, I have to politely disagree. Solo, you get to go at your own pace, you have to be more self-reliant, you spend time with your own thoughts or no thoughts at all. When you stop for a sec in a wild area, it's just you, your breath, and nature. If you prepare and don't take dumb risks, it's safe.

[Jason]

Condolences to the family.

[la rider]

Hiking alone is great. You also run the risk of a battle with nature. You can never be completely prepared for everything.

RIP

[UGH]

McCrazy.. i have to disagree as well, I hiked for two weeks alone on the pacific crest trail (and i am a female), i have had friends who hiked solo for months.. also think of all those people who hiked solo the Appalacian Trail

as long as you're smart.. and someone knows where you're going.. everything should be fine

[Get Planted]

These kinds of stories almost always mention that the victim was an "experienced" hiker. Experienced hikers almost never hike alone. If they do hike alone, they stay on designated trails and diligently avoid hazardous terrain.

[John]

I read on another report that they found her near Fish Creek close to the Sheep Mountain Wilderness. If this is the case then she must have not turned at the peak and took the Devils Backbone but continued more or less "straight" across the peak and off towards Mt. Dawson. This is a very tough route under the best of conditions. Most topo maps don't even show this route as a regular trail but a cross country route. Anytime a topo map shows a trail perpendicular to the elevation lines it means steep, tough going, and this route is like that. I've stood at the peak and looked down this way and wondered how anyone could use it. The peak of Baldy is very poorly marked, most of the four trails have no signs at the peak. I was up there last month and the only one I remember was for the Devils Backbone, and it was off to the side of the peak and easy to miss. My best wishes for her family and loved ones.

[fredyt3]

Glad her body was found. Regarding the comments, no need to speculate about what she did/didn't do or should have done - WE DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE WAS THINKING, so while this issue is unfortunate going forward for the rest of us........continue to take precautions but remember if with the best prep, it only takes one time.

[JimmyB]

Perhaps the Beverly Hills police will tie this death to the death of the publicist. Anyone know the caliber of the rocks the hiker fell from?

[Anonymous]

I was the second to last person to summit Baldy on Sunday, around 2:30 PM, just as the storm arrived. The rescue effort was just beginning that night as I descended, and I told SAR that I hadn't seen anyone matching her description. But whatever happened to Yu (and I think the media has glossed over this) happened a day earlier on Saturday, in fair weather. I will likely continue to hike solo, but the timing of her distress, while I was on the mountain, affects me and I'm considering getting a Personal Locator Beacon (GPS beacon) to assuage my family's concerns. If she did indeed fall 2000 feet, such a device would of course be useless, but it could dramatically help expedite the rescue of a solo hiker who is merely injured.

[DogFather]

This is a sad tragedy and I mean no disrespect to Ms. Yu with the following. Hopefully, there can be lessons learned.

There is no reasonable way for a day-hiker to exit the summit in any northerly direction. Keep in mind that her car was southeast of the summit, in the opposite direction from where she was found. She was apparently disoriented; probably in a whiteout - which can be so bad that you can barely see your feet. A simple cheap compass might have prevented this. She was apparently very familiar with the mountain and would never have intentionally left the summit northbound.

I know that solo hiking is dangerous, but I have been doing it on nearly all of my hikes for years. However, I always take what I need to survive at least a night on the mountain, just in case of bad weather, sprained ankle, lost, etc.

There is a relatively new product on the market called a Spot GPS Satellite Messenger. It can send an SOS via satellite to call for emergency help in areas where cell phones don't work. Something like this might have been able to save her life. For a solo hiker, these things add a lot of insurance.

[DAN JOHNSON]

If You Go Hiking in The Winter Bring Warm Bright Clothing & a Cellphone with GPS and You should never Go a lone allways go in groups are pairs it is way safer bring wahter extra food & blankets Be Safe not Sorry !

[Montana Gold-]

It was that sudden rain that hit L.A. county. Sad news, she died doing what she loved...but life goes on.

[Jutti]

Condolences to her family and friends.

I suspect she was probably disoriented by weather conditions and/or hypothemia. It does not have to be extremely cold for hypothermia to set in. If your core body temperature drops to 95 degrees or below symptoms of hypothermia set in. One of the major symptoms is confusion and loss of judgement.

[Victory]

I have hiked this peak and the 3 T's along with many other areas around this wilderness alone without any problems, however if something goes wrong you could be in real trouble. It sounds like she was experienced and had the right gear. The article said she signed in at the Hut at 08:30, If so she could have summitted by 11:00 which would allow time to continue on to a lower peak (I don't know the name) just north-west of Mt Baldy summit. The snow can be treacherous and one time I was not paying attention in front of me while just below the Baldy summit and came within a few yards of a bighorn sheep. He bolted the other way on the trail, good thing because if he came toward me I would have had no place to go except a long way down.

My heart goes out to the family.