Three hikers were plucked from the rugged Big Sur wilderness in a dramatic overnight helicopter rescue after becoming lost and disoriented, with one suffering a medical emergency.
The rescue operation unfolded Sunday night inside Limekiln State Park, where crews were forced to hack their way through heavily overgrown trails before a Navy helicopter hoisted the stranded trio to safety, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.
The ordeal began around 7:30 p.m. when Big Sur Fire received a satellite 911 call requesting help for three hikers who had lost their way in the remote backcountry.
Authorities said one member of the group was also experiencing an unspecified medical emergency, adding urgency to an already difficult rescue.
Big Sur Fire and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team quickly launched a joint operation.
Seven sheriff’s search-and-rescue members headed roughly 2.5 miles into Limekiln State Park at an elevation of about 2,000 feet.
The rescuers spent about an hour and a half navigating trails so overgrown that crews needed machetes and chainsaws to clear a path through the vegetation.
With the hikers stranded in difficult terrain after dark, officials also called in some serious backup.
“Lasso 3,” an MH-60S Seahawk search-and-rescue helicopter from Naval Air Station Lemoore, was dispatched to assist with the operation.
At around 12:30 a.m. Monday, five hours after the initial distress call, sheriff’s rescuers finally located all three hikers.
The Navy crew then swooped in and hoisted the hikers from the wilderness, transporting them to a safe location where Big Sur Fire and ambulance personnel were waiting.
The harrowing rescue comes after a brutal summer for the Big Sur backcountry, where massive wildfires have recently ripped across tens of thousands of acres of steep, vegetation-choked terrain.
In August, roughly 1,000 firefighters battled the fast-moving Timber Fire as flames threatened hundreds of structures, including homes near Partington Ridge Road.
Then the Plaskett Fire erupted and rapidly ballooned to 29,993 acres, surpassing the nearby Timber Fire, which burned 25,349 acres.
Officials said the region had gone more than half a century without a major wildfire, allowing thick vegetation to accumulate across the notoriously rugged landscape.
Sunday night’s rescue prompted authorities to issue another warning about the hazards awaiting anyone who ventures into Big Sur’s backcountry.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office urged hikers to understand their physical limitations, prepare before setting out and stick to established trails.
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