Stranded Hiker ‘Death Gripping’ Side Of California Cliff Rescued By Helicopter Crew

A stranded hiker found “death gripping” a cliff in Southern California was rescued over the weekend, officials said.

Riverside County Sheriffs Office Aviation Division said rescuers responded to the Whitewater area of the Pacific Crest Trail just south of San Bernardino County after a stranded hiker managed to send an emergency text message to 911 via an emergency communications device.

Rescuers arrived via helicopter to find the woman in a “very precarious spot” on the side of a steep, rocky cliff. The sheriff’s office said the woman was exhausted from holding the difficult position for more than an hour “with a heavy pack and unsure footing.”

“The rescue specialist determined the safest option was to bear hug her and climb to the top,” the sheriff’s office said. “He just could not risk asking her to lift her arms, that she was clearly death gripping the cliff with, in order to place a rescue strap on.”

A video shared by the sheriff’s aviation unit on Instagram shows the rescue climber being lowered to the hiker’s position via helicopter. The woman, who appeared to be shaking while holding onto the cliff, begins screaming in apparent fear as the rescuer begins to pull her free.

A voice over the radio can be heard saying “they’re swinging,” and the rescuer tells the woman, “hold onto me.” The helicopter, to which the rescuer is attached by a rope, maneuvers to get the pair away from the wall of the cliff.

Eventually, the rescuer successfully climbs up to the top of the cliff with the hiker. Once they’re resting at the top of the cliff, the helicopter lowers a rescue basket to hoist the hiker to safety.

“This was an intense, technical rescue,” the sheriff’s office said. “The Pacific Crest Trail has been quite busy for us this season!”