Two hikers from Salt Lake City were rescued on Mount Shasta in Northern California after spending approximately 36 hours navigating dangerous mountain terrain, enduring freezing temperatures, and becoming stranded between cliffs in Cascade Gulch.
According to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, the rescue began late Monday night, October 12th, after dispatchers received a distress call from a 19-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman who were struggling to descend the mountain.
Hikers Stranded in Freezing Conditions
The pair had originally planned a day hike while a friend attempted to summit Mount Shasta. By approximately 10:20pm Monday, they were in the Avalanche Gulch area at roughly 11,000 feet, facing temperatures between 14 and 16 degrees Fahrenheit without adequate clothing, food, or water to safely spend the night.
The hikers were advised to continue descending to maintain body heat. At approximately 2am Tuesday, they reported reaching Helen Lake at 10,400 feet. Their phones died shortly after the call, prompting a search involving local Search and Rescue volunteers, Mount Shasta Climbing Rangers, and California Highway Patrol Air Operations.
An initial helicopter search Tuesday morning located two people waving for assistance, but they were not the missing hikers.
Hikers Found Trapped Between Cliffs
Ground crews and aerial resources continued searching Avalanche Gulch while a separate team of rescuers and a U.S. Forest Service Climbing Ranger searched Cascade Gulch below Horse Camp.
At approximately 4pm Tuesday, searchers heard shouting and located the missing hikers at the bottom of the gulch, roughly 1,000 feet from the McBride Springs Trail. The pair had traveled approximately three miles down a steep, dry drainage before becoming trapped between two cliffs measuring 30 to 50 feet tall.
Fortunately neither hiker was injured. With assistance from rescuers, both were able to climb out of the gulch. Investigators determined the hikers had reached Red Banks at approximately 5pm Monday, five hours beyond the recommended turnaround time for climbing Mount Shasta. They reached Horse Camp around 5am Tuesday but, unable to see the trail, traveled northwest into Cascade Gulch.
Officials Warn of Dangerous Fall Conditions
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office noted that this was the third rescue on the Avalanche Gulch route within the past month. Officials warn that Avalanche Gulch is not a recommended route this time of year because of deteriorating conditions, rockfall, and the onset of winter weather.