VIDEO: Yosemite Hikers From Britain Saved In Dramatic Helicopter Rescue
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (CBS SF) – California Highway Patrol crews staged a dramatic rescue of two hikers at Yosemite National Park who became trapped ahead of last week's major storm.
According to the video posted on the Central Division Air Operations Facebook Page, the two hikers from England became lost as they attempted to hike from North Dome to Yosemite Valley on January 15th. Both men lost the trail in the snow and became trapped in a crevasse, and couldn't continue due to a 2,000 foot vertical drop. They were also unable to turn around.
The hikers called 911 from a cellphone and spent the night exposed to temperatures below freezing.
The following morning, pilot Officer Scott Rodda and Flight Officer / Paramedic Dustin Henschel flew to Yosemite and discovered the hikers after a short reconnaissance. The crew then rescued the hikers, one at a time.
Both hikers were brought to Ahwahnee Meadow, where they were treated by park paramedics. There were no reports of injuries, but the hikers were described by the CHP as "cold and wet" when they were rescued.
Yosemite and other national parks remain open with limited services despite the partial government shutdown, which entered its 32nd day on Tuesday. A 32-year-old Yosemite visitor originally from Ohio died after falling into a river on Christmas Day, the third day of the shutdown.