Hiker trapped on mountain ledge high above Northern California forest freed in helicopter rescue
A hiker trapped on a mountain face in Northern California was plucked to safety by sheriff’s deputies Tuesday in a daring helicopter rescue.
Video from El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department shows the ordeal and the painstaking rescue effort. The hiker was off trail high above Angora Lakes when he became stuck on the side of a steep granite face.
The hiker had nowhere to go, deputies say. Lodged in a crack, with little room to stand or maneuver, the hiker could not climb up or down, deputies said. The hiker was stuck.
“With over a half million acres of the Eldorado National Forest the ‘search’ in Search and Rescue can be extremely difficult,” El Dorado County Sheriff’s officials said in a Facebook post detailing the rescue.
But a sheriff’s helicopter spotted the hiker on the narrow rock ledge. The pilot, sheriff’s Deputy Joseph Brown, hovered over the hiker as hoist operator Sgt. Jesse Dacanay lowered rescue Deputy Alexander Kirchner to the man, found clutching a thin tree limb, before securing him for the lift to the helicopter loitering above.
The Echo 1 crew returned the hiker safely to the ground and non injuries were reported.
This story was originally published October 3, 2024 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Hiker trapped on mountain ledge high above Northern California forest freed in helicopter rescue."
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