Alpine Rescue: Three Hikers Hoisted From Steep Ridge

Three hikers spent a day on a steep ridge in Northern California before a helicopter crew lifted them to safety on Sunday. The trio was located on the Sierra Buttes, a range of peaks rising above the North Yuba River canyon. The mountain reaches an elevation of approximately 8,600 feet and features a fire lookout near its summit.

The incident began in the early afternoon when a satellite device triggered an alert. At 2:30 p.m., a Garmin inReach unit sent an SOS signal to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office received the notification and immediately initiated a search and rescue response.

Deputies coordinated with two external agencies to handle the difficult terrain. They called in the Nevada County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Mountain Rescue Team and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office RAVEN helicopter crew. The helicopter crew scanned the rugged mountainside until they spotted the three stranded individuals near a lookout tower just south of the peak.

Because the location was hazardous, ground teams could not easily reach the hikers. A rescue team member was lowered from the helicopter using a hoist to secure the group. All three people were then lifted off the mountainside and transported to a landing zone where Sierra County deputies waited to receive them.

The sheriff’s office stated that the helicopter hoist was necessary due to the difficult terrain and hazardous location. The agency thanked the participating teams for their professionalism, coordination, and assistance in concluding the rescue. Officials did not provide details on how the group became stranded or whether any injuries occurred.

This operation follows a series of high-profile rescues in the region earlier this month. Last week, a 39-year-old man from Florida was airlifted to a hospital after falling through a snow bridge on the Whitney Glacier. He sustained a severe leg injury, and bad weather delayed his aerial extraction until crews could carry him to a viable landing zone the next day.

Earlier in October, a 19-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman from Salt Lake City were rescued from Mount Shasta. They had been trapped between cliffs for 36 hours. Authorities reported that both individuals were uninjured when they were recovered.