A couple hiking in the desert near Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California was rescued after they were forced to huddle from the searing sun when they ran out of water in 100-degree-plus heat.
The pair was hiking on Ladder Canyon Trail in Mecca on June 9 when they called for medical aid, the Associated Press reported. The man said his girlfriend was dehydrated and weak.
Temperatures that day in the area — one of the hottest spots in the US — reached 103 degrees, according to National Weather Service records.
Dramatic video footage showed rescuers touch down and find the couple huddled together in a dry creek bed, with the man protecting his girlfriend from the sun and the wind with his body.
They were hoisted up to the helicopter one by one.
They were taken to area hospitals for treatment, with the woman medivaced due to her condition.
Unprepared hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts have become a challenge for rescuers across the US.
The problem spiked during the pandemic, when millions of inexperienced hikers across the country ventured into the wilderness for the first time.
With rescues often involving multiple agencies and costing thousands of dollars, states including New Hampshire, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Vermont and Oregon have passed laws that allow them to bill people for the cost of finding them when they get lost or fall victim to a lack of preparation for the outdoors.
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