Two Utah residents who hiked Mount Shasta in Northern California were rescued after they became stranded during a perilous 36-hour journey through freezing conditions.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office received a distress call around 10:20 p.m. Monday from a 19-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman, both from Salt Lake City, who were in the Avalanche Gulch area — about 11,000 feet above sea level, according to a news release from the office.
The hikers, who had only planned for a daylong hike, said they were cold and unable to finish their descent of the towering volcano.
At the time of their call, temperatures hovered around 15 degrees, and the pair lacked adequate clothing, food or water to safely endure the night, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities advised the hikers to continue descending the mountain to maintain their body heat. By 2 a.m., the hikers called authorities again to say they had arrived at Helen Lake (about 10,400 feet above sea level). Not long after, their phones died.
The hikers made it to Horse Camp, a popular staging area, but couldn’t find the trail and traveled down a steep, dry river canyon. They continued walking for another several miles until they were stranded between 30- to 50-foot-tall cliffsides.
The Sheriff’s Office, along with California Highway Patrol and search-and-rescue volunteers, began searching for the hikers at dawn Tuesday morning. Around 4 p.m., a search party heard shouting in the Cascade Gulch area, about 1,000 feet from the McBride Springs Trail.
The hikers climbed out of the gulch with help from authorities, according to authorities. Despite hiking for 36 hours, neither was injured.
Authorities warned against hiking this route this time of year due to deteriorating conditions and the onset of winter weather.
“This ordeal is also an important reminder for anyone hiking, climbing, or hunting to prepare for worst case scenarios, such as an unintentional overnight stay, inclement weather, or an injury,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “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.”
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