This is a picture of triumph and rescue: a CHP helicopter lifting off Mt. Shasta at 12,000 feet despite high winds to save a novice hiker from the consequences of GPS and inexperience.
Volunteer SAR teams from Trinity, Siskiyou, Jackson, Marin and San Mateo counties and the Bay Area Mountain Rescue Team all responded to help.
Shasta is deceptively beautiful and notorious for eating helicopters.
John Muir famously survived a surprise blizzard there by spending the night in a hot spring, back in the day.
The hiker was wearing just a hoodie and sneakers, and summited late in the day after ascending Avalanche Gulch. His GPS tool gave him a route down, via the north face.
He saw the snow bridge before he stepped on it but couldn’t see the crevasse below. He’s very lucky to escape with an immobilizing leg injury and a very cold night on Whitney Glacier.
And even luckier that there are skilled, compassionate climbers and pilots willing to save a Florida man far out of his element on short notice.
The snow is rotten this time of year, you should turn back by noon if you aren’t prepared to stay the night safely whether you summited or not, and the north face is always a sketchy choice.
