By Patric Hedlund, TME

Roller coaster weather for the past seven days led to record high temperatures last week, then a plummet into back-to-back snow storms.

That is why Mike Song’s desperate SOS on Instagram begged for help to find his 73-year-old father who had not returned from a solo hike on Mount Pinos by Tuesday night, Feb. 15, as planned.

By Wednesday, Feb. 16, South Kern Search and Rescue (SKSR) was on the job. Captain Mike Parker of Piñon Pines mobilized volunteers and equipment. The Kern County Sheriffs Office sent out a helicopter, but by Wednesday afternoon they escalated by calling in Ventura County air search to assist.

Two helicopters buzzed the slopes of Mount Pinos, searching for signs. Mike Song’s plea snowballed to 181,000 Instagram ‘likes,’ as media picked up the call. Those translated into more volunteers making their way to the mountain to help.

Rita Bernards of Frazier Park has been working and training with SKSR for over eight years. She had to go to her job at El Tejon Middle School Wednesday, but decided she would join in the search effort the next…(please see below to view full stories and photographs)

Photo captions:

Above, l-r: Gab Song’s story saturated media in Los Angeles, Ventura and Kern Counties; SKSR volunteer Rita Bernards, Lieutenant Loren Williams and Captain Mike Parker set up a radio antenna at Nordic Base on Mt. Pinos; Ventura County brought ATVs and pizza.

Members of the Hanmi Alpine Club came to help with the search

Mike Song (left) reuniting with his father, George Song, Thursday, Feb. 17. He went back up at Nordic Base to thank the searchers.

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This is part of the February 25, 2022 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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