Two backpackers who became stuck on icy cliffs on a mountain pass required rescue, California sheriff’s officials reported.
They were able to call for help with a weak bar of cell phone service near Burro Lake Pass north of Yosemite National Park just before 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, the Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team said in an October 10 news release.
Rescuers found two people trapped on an icy ridge at an elevation of 11,340 feet, officials said. One was about 100 feet below the other on a ledge above a 1,000-foot drop.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter airlifted rescuers to the backpackers then landed in Burro Lake Pass to await their rescue, officials said.
Rescuers rigged ropes to retrieve the person trapped on the ledge, officials said.
The helicopter took both backpackers to safety, where they declined further medical aid, rescuers said.
A fall from the ledge “would have certainly been fatal,” rescuers said.
Mono County is about a 225-mile drive southeast from Sacramento.
By DON SWEENEY/The Sacramento Bee
Don Sweeney has been a newspaper reporter and editor in California for more than 25 years. He has been a real-time reporter based at The Sacramento Bee since 2016.
