2 hikers rescued from steep gulch while descending California mountain
This was the third rescue from the area in the past month, officials said.
Two hikers who were stranded and freezing for 36 hours on Mount Shasta in northern California were rescued by search teams Tuesday afternoon in what is the third rescue this month from the area, authorities said.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said it received a distress call from the hikers on Monday at 10:20 p.m., saying they were stranded while descending at 11,000 feet of elevation and were freezing, as temperatures had dropped to 14 to 16 degrees that night.
The pair, a 19-year-old man and 20-year-old woman from Salt Lake City, Utah, had planned for only a day-long hike while their friend summited the mountain and did not have adequate food, water or clothing, the sheriff's office said.
The two were advised to continue to descend the mountain to stay warm, and after calling back at about 2 a.m. Tuesday to notify officials of their new position further down the mountain, their phones died, officials said.
Search and rescue teams activated Tuesday morning along with California Highway Patrol Air Operations, the sheriff's office said.
At about 4 p.m. on Tuesday, search and rescue teams heard shouts in Cascade Gulch and located the hikers at the bottom of the gulch between 30-to 50-foot cliffs, according to officials.
The two were not injured and, with assistance, climbed out of the gulch to safety, officials said.
About two weeks ago, a 72-year-old woman was rescued from the Mount Shasta area after setting out on a hike and getting stranded for several days.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office reminded the public that the Avalanche Gulch route is not recommended at this time of year due to deteriorating conditions, rockfall and winter weather, as is posted at the trailhead.
"With winter conditions returning, it is imperative to research your route ahead of time and only [choose] objectives that are safe for the season, as a simple mistake can turn deadly in the Siskiyou County high country," the sheriff's office said in the release.
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