Two Hikers Rescued After 36 Hours Lost on Mount Shasta in Freezing Conditions

Two young hikers, a 19-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman, both from Salt Lake City, were rescued from Mount Shasta after being stranded for approximately 36 hours in freezing conditions. The pair lost their way in treacherous terrain, became trapped between cliffs, and had their phone batteries die.

They called for help around 10:20 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, reporting they were too cold and exhausted to safely descend from the 14,179-foot mountain. At the time of their call, temperatures in the Avalanche Gulch area, at roughly 11,000 feet, had dropped to between 14 and 16 degrees Fahrenheit. The hikers reportedly lacked adequate clothing, food, and water for an overnight stay.

Deputies advised the hikers to continue their descent to conserve body heat. By 2 a.m. Tuesday, they indicated they had reached Helen Lake, at approximately 10,400 feet, before their phones became inoperable.

Search and rescue teams, along with California Highway Patrol Air Operations, began a search Tuesday morning. Around 9 a.m., a CHP helicopter spotted two individuals waving for assistance, but they were not the missing hikers.

Ground crews and aerial teams continued their efforts throughout the afternoon. A second team, comprising search-and-rescue volunteers and a U.S. Forest Service climbing ranger, focused their search on Cascade Gulch, located below Horse Camp. At approximately 4 p.m., rescuers heard shouting from the gulch and located the stranded hikers near the bottom, about 1,000 feet from the McBride Springs Trail.

The hikers had entered the steep, dry river canyon after reaching Horse Camp around 5 a.m. Tuesday and were unable to locate the trail. They traveled approximately three miles down the drainage before becoming trapped between two cliffs that measured 30 to 50 feet in height. Both hikers were uninjured and were able to climb out of the gulch with assistance.

Prior to their distress, the pair had reached Red Banks on the Avalanche Gulch route around 5 p.m. Monday, which was five hours past the recommended turnaround time for Mount Shasta climbers. The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office expressed gratitude to the search-and-rescue volunteers, Mount Shasta climbing rangers, and CHP Air Operations for their role in the rescue.

Officials noted that this was the third rescue on the Avalanche Gulch route in the preceding month. The sheriff's office warned that the route is not recommended during this time of year due to deteriorating conditions, rockfall, and the onset of winter weather, as indicated by warnings posted at the Bunny Flat trailhead.