Bring water and watch your step. Madera Sheriff’s warning to hikers after rescues

Water levels along the Lewis Creek in Madera County are low this year.

That’s opened up new exploration opportunities for hiking along the creek, but also a warning from the sheriff’s office following a pair of rescues Thursday.

Rescue crews from the sheriff’s office, Cal Fire and other agencies were called to the Lewis Creek National Recreation Trail off Highway 41 north of Oakhurst around 2 p.m. after a 50-year old woman tripped and fell 40 feet into a notch in the rock face above Corlieu Falls.

The woman has been hiking with her family when she fell. A leg injury and the slope of the rock face kept her from being able to crawl safety, according to a Facebook post by the sheriff’s office.

A member of the forest service crew was lowered using a rope system. The woman was placed in a harness and pulled back up to the trail, where she received medical treatment and was carried a half-mile to the nearest trailhead and eventually taken to a hospital.

At the same time, the rescue team came across a second hiker down in the middle of the trail. The 20-year-old Placer County woman was suffering from dehydration. She was given treatment and also assisted to the trailhead but was not taken to the hospital, the sheriff’s office said.

“Temperatures are rising again in the coming days. If you’re planning on venturing out this weekend, we strongly recommend bringing extra water and watching your step,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook.

“Many of the rocks are very slick even without water, and one fall could cause major injuries.”