[VIDEO] Six Ill-Equipped Hikers Rescued from Mount Baldy, CA

Six hikers in their 20s had to be rescued from Mount Baldy, California, on Wednesday, February 14. The group had set out on a hike on Bear Canyon Trail to the top of Mount Baldy and got stuck in the snow at around 9,000 feet altitude. The six young men were not equipped for an excursion of this magnitude and got stranded as the sun was starting to set. The hikers had no equipment for spending the night on the mountain and could not continue as there was around two feet of snow and they were lost as the temperatures were dropping to 14°F.

The group called managed to text 911 for help and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department rescued the six ill-equipped hikers by helicopter. “We probably had about 30 or 40 minutes left of daylight,” Deputy Sheriff Robert Springer with LASD’s Special Enforcement Bureau said. “They were lost. I think they had essentially taken a wrong turn at some point, off the trail, which happens pretty frequently up there.”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Enforcement Bureau shared two videos of the rescue. “My understanding too is that these people that went up were not really prepared, did not have food, shelter or extra clothing to last them over the night in case they got stuck,” Gomez said.

This story as well as that of the missing 22-year-old hiker, who was found deceased earlier this month, illustrate the dangers of underestimating conditions in the mountains. The weather in the mountains can change quickly and conditions at altitude are very different to those at sea level. It was a lucky escape for this group, but the 22-year-old female was not so lucky. In fact, Mount Baldy has become one of the country’s most dangerous hikes, with around 100 rescues alone in the last four years, and 10 known deaths.

• Related: Woman Remains Missing on Mt. Baldy, CA, After Going on Solo Hike on Sunday

Mt Baldy area, 6 hikers stuck at 9000 feet in the snow on Bear Canyon Trail and unable to continue. Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Air Rescue 5 responds with #LASD SEB Tactical Medics to conduct the rescue. Hikers airlifted to safety. Saving lives priority 1. pic.twitter.com/ixWlN1yFav

— SEB (@SEBLASD) February 15, 2024