Friday, June 5, 2015

Two Helicopters Hoist Nine Stranded Hikers to Safety Off Clifftop Thursday Night

Photography courtesy David Mather, Bill Westphal and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Paige

A group of nine hikers was rescued by two Sheriff’s helicopters and ground search and rescue teams after becoming stranded on a steep cliff above Eaton Canyon Thursday evening.

None of the hikers was injured.

The group was originally spotted around 6 p.m. by Altadenan David Mather who notified the Altadena Sheriff’s station.

“As my wife and I hiked up the Mt. Wilson Toll Road towards Henninger Flats, our attention was drawn to a group of  nine teenagers who were shouting for assistance from an adjacent ridge off of Kinneloa Canyon,” Mather told Altadena Now. “They were stuck on the ridge in very steep terrain, unable to move up or down, and in thick brush.”

Authorities said both the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team along with Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team were activated.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Air Rescue 5 was dispatched and located the hikers atop a cliff near Mt. Wilson Truck Trail in the Angeles National Forest. The hikers were located on the ridge, off any marked trail in North Coyote Canyon.

Rescue 5 hoisted eight of the hikers to safety. The ninth hiker hiker was hoisted and flown to Farnsworth Park by a second helicopter from the Los Angeles County Fire Department Helicopter.

The hikers, five men and four women, ranged in age from 20 to 30 years old. None is from the local area. One, a 21-year-old man, is a citizen of the Philippines.