A couple of young hikers faced a grueling, 36-hour situation on California’s Mount Shasta after losing their way in difficult terrain. They found themselves stuck between steep cliffs while their phone battery dwindled, all amid a frantic search for them.
The 19-year-old man and his 20-year-old companion from Salt Lake City reached out for help around 10:20 p.m. on October 12. They were too cold and tired to safely continue their descent from the mountain, which stands at 14,179 feet, as reported by the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office.
They had originally intended to go on a day hike while a friend aimed for the summit. Unfortunately, when they called for assistance from the Avalanche Gulch area at around 11,000 feet, temperatures had plummeted to between 14 and 16 degrees. They also didn’t have enough clothing, food, or water to remain safe overnight.
Deputies advised them to keep moving downwards to preserve their body heat. By 2 a.m. Tuesday, they managed to reach Helen Lake at approximately 10,400 feet, but their phones died shortly after that.
Search-and-rescue teams as well as California Highway Patrol Air Operations launched a desperate search the following morning, combing through the mountain’s upper regions for the missing hikers.
Around 9 a.m., a CHP helicopter spotted two individuals signaling for help, but they turned out to be unrelated to the missing pair.
Ground crews and aerial teams persisted in their search throughout the afternoon. A second team of rescue volunteers, along with a US Forest Service climbing ranger, focused their efforts on Cascade Gulch below Horse Camp.
Then, at about 4 p.m., searchers heard shouts coming from the gulch and finally found the hikers near the bottom, about 1,000 feet from the McBride Springs Trail.
The hikers had inadvertently entered a steep, dry river canyon after reaching Horse Camp around 5 a.m. Tuesday, unable to see the trail. They had traveled about three miles down the drainage before becoming stuck between cliffs that were 30 to 50 feet high.
Thankfully, both hikers were unharmed and were able to climb out of the gulch with some help.
By the time rescuers reached them, they had been on the move for around 36 hours after starting their hike at 4 a.m. Monday.
They had also made it to Red Banks along the Avalanche Gulch route around 5 p.m. on Monday, which was five hours past the suggested turnaround time for climbers on Mount Shasta.
The sheriff’s office expressed gratitude to the search-and-rescue volunteers, Mount Shasta climbing rangers, and CHP Air Operations for their successful efforts in bringing the hikers to safety.
However, officials noted that this rescue marks the third similar incident along the Avalanche Gulch route within just a month. They cautioned that this route is not advisable at the current time due to worsening conditions, the risk of rockfall, and the onset of winter weather, as indicated by warnings posted at the Bunny Flat trailhead.
