FOREST FALLS - A day after a volunteer fell 400 feet down an ice chute, the hunt for a missing hiker in the San Gorgonio wilderness continued with fewer searchers and a greatly increased sense of the area's treacherousness.

Sunday, a helicopter inserted a handful of specially trained searchers on the mountainside above High Creek, where 25-year-old Eugene Kumm was reportedly last seen.

"This is a real technical team of six people who will very gingerly explore the area," said John Amrhein, San Bernardino County Sheriff's emergency services coordinator and operations officer for the search. He explained that the area is essentially a solid sheet of hard ice.

Amrhein said each member of the team was well-trained in using ice picks, crampons and ropes.

Saturday, a volunteer from the Bear Valley search and rescue squad fell 400 feet down an ice chute before a tree stopped his fall.

Mark Rowland was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center where he was treated and released.

"He's a little sore," Amrhein said.

The accident is a reminder of the extremely dangerous conditions that threaten even those who are well-trained and well-equipped.

Amrhen said Rowland had an ice-ax and metal spikes, called crampons, that attach to hiking boots, but they did him little good.

"The ice was so hard, the pick just bounced off of it," Amrhein said.

Because of the increasingly treacherous conditions, Amrhein said that Sunday may be the last day crews are inserted on the mountain.

"We have to weigh the risk factors," he said. "The safety of our searchers always comes first."

Kumm, a Seal Beach engineer, began his solo hike along the Vivian Creek Trail above Forest Falls about 9 a.m. Jan. 17. His girlfriend reported him missing the next day.

Searchers began their hunt for Kumm by trying to find out where he was headed and how he was equipped.

"It's almost like being a detective. We look for clues," Amrhein said.

Help came in the form of visitor permits, filed by hikers headed into the wilderness, Amrhein said. The permits include specific information on where a visitor is going and when they expect to be back and are required by the U.S. Forest Service.

"That's what helped us in the beginning," Amrhein said. "We were able to get phone numbers of people who were up there at the same time."

Eyewitness accounts told deputies that Kumm was last seen near High Creek, headed towards the approximately 11,000-foot summit. They also discovered that the missing man was dressed for the conditions but that he did not have a map, a compass or a Global Positioning System, Amrhein said.

In the last week, volunteers from around the state, including Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Diego and San Francisco have scoured the wilderness for some trace of Kumm. Clues such a footprints, clothing or other discarded items have been virtually nonexistent, Amrhein said.

"There's nowhere to really look except the whole mountain," Amrhein said.

Crews continued to search near Wrightwood for Ronald Barbour, 69, of Los Angeles County, who was last seen Jan. 16. The simultaneous search missions have stretched resources, Amrhein said.

Amrhein said days of dangerous and fruitless searches can take their toil on personnel.

"It's very frustrating," he said. "They like to have closure."

He said there is always hope that Kumm may be found alive and refers to incidents where missing hikers have even stumbled out of the woods on their own.

Although conditions may force officials to end the large scale search for Kumm, the hunt will not end until he's found, Amrhein said.

"We never suspend a search. There are a few folks who've been missing up here for years and we still look for them."