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DAD: Can you please call search and rescue. Your mom and I go on hiking she is not come back.
Huh?
I called, but he didn't pick up. I tried again. And one more time. Finally he picked up. He sounded frantic.
"Dad? What's going on?" I asked.
"Your mother!" He proceeded to tell me a long story about how "you know your mother!" She had picked out an 8-mile hike but they hadn't gotten to the trailhead until 4pm. She and my dad had headed out together, but again, because my dad hikes too slowly, my mom had ditched him and forged on ahead. Once it started getting dark, he had turned around and headed back to the trailhead, where he had waited for her for hours well after dark. Getting worried, he had tried to call for help, but didn't have any reception. He had driven several miles from the trailhead just to get reception to text me. He had tried to call my mom too, but either she didn't have reception either or her phone was dead. He wanted me to call Search and Rescue so he could head back up to the trailhead and wait, just in case my mom turned up.
"Okay, Dad. Where are you?" I asked.
He then proceeded to describe how they had gotten there, but couldn't tell me a name of a trailhead or any mile markings. I Google Map'ed the location he had mentioned, but couldn't see any marked trailheads or hikes on the map. But he said that one of my mom's hiking friends had told her about the hike. I called him back again, but he didn't pick up. He must have already headed back to the trailhead.
Sigh.
So remember Kay Maser from the previous story? Thankfully, her email signature had included a phone number. So I gave her a ring.
"Hi... is this Kay? My name is Alice. I'm Jan's daughter? I'm really sorry for calling so late..."
"Yes, this is Kay."
"So, my mom is still out hiking and my dad can't find her. He's been waiting for her at the trailhead for a while but doesn't have any reception. He said that somebody from her hiking group had told her about the hike? Would you happen to know where she is?"
"Yes, I suggested that she do The 8-mile Hike* today. What time is it? 11pm?! She's still out there???"
I explained how my parents had started off late again, how my mom had ditched my dad again, and how now my dad had been waiting for my mom for hours. Kay said that she would try to help. I got off the phone with her and began Googling the phone number for Search and Rescue in Southern California. No luck.
So I dialed 9-1-1. Sort of an emergency, right?
"9-1-1, what is your emergency?"
"Hi, I need to reach Search and Rescue, but not in Utah. In the LA area? My mom is out hiking and she hasn't come back."
I got transferred back and forth, with all parties being confused as to exactly under whose jurisdiction my mother was located. Finally, I was on with Search and Rescue for the Wrightwood area and they said that they would dispatch a team to look for her. Kay had reached them too- the officer I was speaking with said that another woman was also searching for an Asian woman measuring about 5'4".
I had spent more than an hour on the phone, worried sick. My phone beeped, and I looked at it- another call from my dad. Telling the officer to hold, I took the call.
It was my mom on the phone.
"MOM?!?! Are you okay? Where's dad?"
"Dad is here, he is driving so I am on the phone."
"What? Where are you?"
"We coming down the mountain now in car."
"So Dad found you? You're okay."
"Yes, of course. He always so over-reacting."
"MOM, I CALLED SEARCH AND RESCUE THEY ARE HEADING OUT TO FIND YOU!!! ... Hold on."
I switched the call back to Search and Rescue. "Hi... sorry. That was my mom. She returned to the trailhead and she and my dad are heading home now. I'm really sorry for the trouble... could you please tell Kay that she is okay... Thank you so so much for your help. Yes. Um, thanks again. And sorry. Goodbye..."
I hung up, switched back to my mother and then proceeded to thoroughly berate her for worrying us sick, keeping me up half the night on the phone with Search and Rescue, and made her promise never, ever to do this again- and that if she were going to go hiking, that she needed to plan ahead and start early.
"Yes, yes yes. Next time, yes," she promised. "Your father, he always is over-reacting. No one need to Search and Rescue."
I banged my head against the wall a few times, thanked God that my mom was safe, and then finally went to bed.
*I unfortunately do not remember the name of the hike or trailhead. =(
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