Sonora, CA…Saturday night @ 11pm TCSAR was dispatched to an overdue hiker near American Camp. After deploying 5 type 2 searchers that covered more than 22 miles in the darkness in steep and brushy terrain we were finally able to get a 911 lock on our exhausted and dehydrated subject around 6am on Sunday morning. It was determined he was in an area that was best suited for a helicopter evacuation. Cal-Fire 205 was able to locate the hiker with coordinates provided by our dispatchers and successfully hoist him from the Stanislaus River canyon and fly him back to Columbia where he was checked out by SAR, provided water and some minor first aid and eventually picked up by his hiking companion.

We’d like to thank Cal-Fire and the Columbia Air Attack Crew for their help in bringing our lost hiker back to safety.

Please remember to plan your hikes carefully. Know where you’re going and have a way to communicate in an emergency. By all means, stay with your hiking partner and always carry enough water.