On the Friday night of Labor Day weekend, WCSART received a 911 call for a father with two teenagers who hiked the Douglas Trail to a location near Eagle Point. They got disoriented while attempting to get back to the main trail and wisely called for help. The father sent their exact location coordinates. After WCSART arrived on the scene, a team hiked in, found the family and escorted them back, exiting the trail around 1 a.m.
Even in daylight conditions, the Douglas Trail can be a rough and dangerous trail, so remember if you go there — or go hiking anywhere — always take extra gear, have maps, carry enough hydration, and bring essentials such as headlamps or flashlights. An excellent skill to ensure your safety should you ever get lost or disoriented while hiking is to practice determining your location coordinates beforehand so that you can send them to first responders as the father did.
