Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Potential for heavy rainfall. High 59F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..
A few showers early becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 52F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Updated: April 21, 2026 @ 6:54 am
The disastrous camping trip of Redwood City residents Paul and Obdulia "Lula" Shank ended happily Thursday morning when they were rescued by a National Forest Service helicopter near Sky Blue Lake in Sequoia National Forest.
The Shanks, hiking with Amy Childer, 40, of Daly City and Tony Smith, 42, of Scotts Valley, were camping on Mount Whitney and expected to return Sunday. When they did not return, Smith's wife reported them missing to the Inyo County Sheriff's office.
Inyo relayed the message to Sequoia National Forest and a search began, only to be postponed because of snow and high winds.
At 7:30 a.m. Thursday, a National Forest Service helicopter searched the area about two hours and found the hikers near the lake.
"They did the exact right thing," said Alexandra Picavet, spokeswoman for Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks.
"They were very smart, they looked at the top of the pass and one of the four said 'I'm not doing it,'" she said.
Backtracking on the trail then staying put in the heavy weather helped rescuers find them, she said.
When the helicopter landed, none needed advanced medical care, Picavet said.
Amy Childer's son Andrew got a call from his mother after the rescue.
"When she called I was so happy, I was so happy she called the house and that she was OK," he told ABC 7 News.
Smith said the group survived on salami and gouda cheese.
Stephen Baxter can be reached by e-mail at stephen@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 109. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.
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