Two hikers were rescued from California’s rugged and remote north coast over the weekend after one of them slid more than 100ft (30 metres) down a steep cliff and was clinging to a “near vertical” bluff with hiking poles, authorities said.
The Shelter Cove fire department and a US Coast Guard team responded to a call on Saturday afternoon for a hiker stranded on a cliff near the Lost Coast Trail, which traces more than 50 miles (80km) of the wild and undeveloped coast in far northern California, in the King Range national conservation area. The difficult terrain and conditions required a “highly technical” rescue operation that included a boat, jet ski and several rescue swimmers as well as a helicopter team, the agencies said.
The two hikers were off trail, along a deer or game trail, on Saturday when one of them fell more than 100ft, causing injuries that left him unable to move and preventing rescuers from accessing him by land, according to the Shelter Cove fire department. He was “barely holding on” roughly 60ft above another unstable cliff, the US Coast Guard sector in Humboldt Bay said in a statement.
Because of the rugged terrain and history of rescues in the area, the fire department had requested assistance from the Coast Guard in Humboldt Bay. The Coast Guard team used a 160ft hoist to evacuate the stranded hiker, who was bleeding and had a dislocated shoulder, and transported them to a nearby airport where emergency response workers were waiting. They then returned to the hillside to rescue the uninjured hiker. The rescues “required intense crew coordination due to the loose cliffside, dead trees, and limited power”, the Coast Guard said.
The helicopter had just 15 minutes left of fuel, the Coast Guard statement said, and waited at a nearby airport until a Cal Fire truck brought additional fuel.
The response to the incident required significant resources, the Shelter Cove fire department said. The agency urged would-be Lost Coast hikers to stay on marked trails, and to be prepared for delays. Experts say hikers should not attempt the challenging coastal trail – sections of which are inaccessible during high tide – without experience.
“This rescue required the coordinated efforts of six different agencies, utilizing millions of dollars of specialized equipment and extensive training to ensure a safe and professional outcome,” the fire department said in its statement, praising the 20 rescuers, most of whom are volunteers, for their work.
