Utah
Helicopter called in to hoist stranded hiker, rescue crew out of Utah canyon
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A hiker was stranded for nearly 12 hours before a rescue helicopter was called in to hoist him out of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah.
Members of the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team said that they were dispatched to a “cliffed out” hiker across from the Gate Buttress in Little Cottonwood shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
“The patient started at 5 a.m., had no extra clothes and no headlamp,” officials said.
The hiker was reportedly planning to climb Perla’s Ridge from Little Cottonwood Canyon over to Bells Canyon and then BASE jump into Bells, but was ultimately unable to make it safely past the ridge.
A team of four rescuers responded and ascended the “Black Pearl” gully to reach Perla’s Ridge.
As they were trying to navigate a path to the hiker, rescuers said the rockfall hazard was significant enough that the decision was made to bring in the Department of Public Safety helicopter to hoist the hiker and the entire rescue team off of the mountain.
he rescue mission was six and a half hours in duration.