Jessica Cejnar
The Times-Standard
MCKINLEYVILLE, Calif. — A Humboldt Bay fire captain was back home with family Monday after he was reported missing in Trinity County on Sunday.
Fire Capt. Chris Jelinek left his McKinleyville home at about 6 a.m. for a 24-mile run on the Jim Jam trail near Denny. Jelinek said things were going well for about the first half of the run. The California Conservation Corps had done a good job of maintaining the trail, and it was easy to follow. Then, about 6,000 feet above sea level, the trail disappeared, Jelinek said. He successfully picked the trail back up again, but after a while it faded entirely.
Jelinek was able to orient himself well enough to follow the topography down into a ravine with a map and a compass. He said he thought he would pick the trail up on the other side, but it faded away again.
“That’s when things became complicated,” Jelinek said. “I had no trail. I was just basically going off of a compass bearing, trying to pick up the trail as best I could. I was planning on being home sometime between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. At about 7 p.m., I made the decision to set up camp.”
Jelinek built a shelter and a fire, covered himself with a space blanket and settled in for the night. The only food he had brought from home were five Power Bars, M&Ms and potato chips, but Jelinek said it was enough to sustain him. He slept for about an hour.
The next morning, Jelinek said, he climbed a ridge toward Mary Blaine Mountain and could hear the spotter plane and see the helicopter flying. He pulled out his space blanket and used it as a signal.
Rescuers found Jelinek alive and uninjured at about 10:45 a.m. Monday, according to Assistant Fire Chief Rusty Goodlive.
Jelinek’s wife, Kim, notified the Humboldt Bay Fire Protection District that her husband had not returned home, according to Fire Chief Ken Woods. The fire department notified the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, he said.
According to a sheriff’s office news release, the call came in at about 9:30 p.m. The sheriff’s office began searching for Jelinek as soon as it became light, Woods said. The sheriff’s office got to Jelinek’s vehicle, a red 2000 Subaru Outback, at about 9 a.m. A Cal Fire helicopter flew Jelinek to the command area, Woods said.
“It’s a very rugged area,” he said. “Our concern was that because he had not come back at the time he was supposed to that something had happened to him medically.”
During the search, local resources mobilized and prepared for deployment to help if requested, including Humboldt Bay Fire, the Arcata Fire Protection District, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and numerous civilian volunteers, according to Humboldt Bay Fire. The Eureka Public Safety Dispatch Center also remained in standby mode until the rescue was completed.
“We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Trinity County Search and Rescue and to Cal Fire for their assistance,” Goodlive said.
Jelinek said there were a few things he would have done differently. The first thing, he said, was not to hike alone. Jelinek added that carrying a GPS device would have helped him find the trail more easily than just a map and a compass. He also said he shouldn’t have left the trail.
“I want to relay how appreciative and humbled I am by the number of people who came out and assisted with my rescue,” Jelinek said. “It ended quickly and had a positive outcome. Friends and family and community members really pulled together.”
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