Watch: Unprepared hiker rescued from atop Mount Shasta following injury, difficult weather and GPS mishap

Oct 24, 2026 - 12:40
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Watch: Unprepared hiker rescued from atop Mount Shasta following injury, difficult weather and GPS mishap

A 39-year-old man from Florida injured his leg while climbing Mount Shasta, where GPS directed him on the wrong route, and he fell through a snow bridge on Whitney Glacier at 12,000 feet elevation. 

Marin County Search and Rescue and Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office assisted in the multiday search and rescue effort to get to the hiker amid windy conditions on the mountain. 

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The climber reportedly summited Mount Shasta via Avalanche Gulch at 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon when a wrong GPS route led him onto Whitney Glacier instead of descending. 

There, he fell through a snow bridge and severely injured his leg, Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said. 

He called 911 at 5 p.m. Sunday to report his injuries, as he couldn't move on his own and was not prepared for an overnight trip on the mountain, only wearing sweatpants, a sweatshirt and running shoes. 

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Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said overnight temperatures on Whitney Glacier were expected to drop below freezing. 

Search and rescue operations commenced, with a California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter joining ground search and rescue teams to find the man before nightfall. 

However, high winds and low visibility prevented search and rescue crews from finding the man Sunday night, Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said. 

They deployed again Monday, and a pair of U.S. Forest Service Climbing Rangers reached him by late morning. 

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The rangers treated his injury, and offered medical treatment for frostbite and the onset of hypothermia, Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said. 

Through the rest of the day Monday, aerial rescue attempts continued, but inclement weather made the rescue impossible. 

On Monday night, the climbing rangers stayed with the man at 12,500 feet elevation, while another 30 personnel from surrounding search and rescue agencies were mobilized to assist in ground extraction. 

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By 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the first wave of ground crews reached the man and climbing rangers, and they began carrying him down Mount Shasta to await a helicopter rescue. 

Video shared by Marin County Search and Rescue showed the groups of rescuers ascending the mountain to reach the hiker. 

The man, whose condition was deteriorating rapidly, was carried down difficult terrain, through rockfall hazards, gusty winds between 40 and 50 mph and freezing conditions, to a safe landing spot on Shastina Peak, Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said. 

A CHP helicopter was able to safely land and transport the hiker to a hospital, where he is being treated for his injuries. 

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The search and rescue teams returned to the trailhead late Tuesday evening, after a nearly three-day rescue operation. 

Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office thanked all the agencies involved in the rescue, including Marin County Search and Rescue. 

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