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A Pacific Crest Trail hiker near Whitewater, CA found herself in a harrowing situation recently when she slipped and fell partway down a steep cliff. Footage released on Monday by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office aviation unit, Rescue 9, shows what the unit described as an “intense, technical” rescue operation to safely extract her from the cliff face.
The hiker was able to send an SOS via what appears in the video to be a Garmin inReach Mini and then clung to the cliff face for over an hour while a helicopter was sent.
Rescuers said she appeared exhausted and “was clearly death gripping the cliff” when they arrived, making it too risky to ask her to raise her arms to place a rescue strap. According to the video caption, “due to her very precarious spot … and with a heavy pack with unsure footing, the rescue specialist determined the safest option was to bear hug her and climb to the top.”
The footage shows the hiker’s legs trembling with effort — and possibly nerves — by the time the rescuer reaches her, while dust and debris from the unstable cliff face rain down. At one point during the operation, the hiker screams that she is falling. “No, grab onto me!” the rescuer answers.
After a tense few minutes, the rescuer is able to get a secure grip on the hiker, and the pair is hoisted to the top of the cliff. The hiker’s legs appear cut up — it’s unclear whether this is from her initial fall or from a collision with the cliff face during the hoist — but she appears otherwise unharmed and responsive as she is airlifted to safety.
“The Pacific Crest Trail has been quite busy for us this season,” Rescue 9 said in the video caption. Earlier this month, the team responded to another PCT hiker in “serious medical distress” near Mt. San Jacinto.
Featured image: Screenshot from Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit.
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