Overview
- San Francisco firefighters carried out a seven-hour technical rescue that began around 9:30 p.m. Friday to reach a stranded hiker near Dead Man’s Point.
- Crews set up two rope-rescue systems, installed cliff anchors, staged rescue swimmers and used a rescue boat to move the hiker from an unstable perch to shore.
- Dense fog, low light, heavy brush, steep and unstable rock and rough surf forced teams to change tactics and prevented an airlift when a Coast Guard helicopter arrived.
- The hiker was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being guided to shore, and one rescue swimmer sustained minor injuries and was expected to fully recover.
- The National Park Service and National Weather Service had warned of dangerous shoreline conditions, and officials said the case highlights the risks of leaving marked trails near Lands End.