Watch: Unprepared hiker rescued from atop Mount Shasta following injury, difficult weather and GPS mishap
The search and rescue teams returned to the trailhead late Tuesday evening, after a nearly three-day rescue operation.
Watch: Injured hiker rescued from glacier on Mount Shasta in Northern California
A man took a wrong turn while hiking Mount Shasta, which led him to the Whitney Glacier 12,000 feet up. There, he fell through a snow bridge and severely injured himself. Video shows the multiday effort to rescue the man.
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.
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.
A view from the mountainside
(Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office/Facebook / FOX Weather)
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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Snowy and icy conditions on Mount Shasta.
(Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office/Facebook / FOX Weather)
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.
The team talking before making the ascent.
(Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office/Facebook / FOX Weather)
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.
The group of search and rescuers.
(Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office/Facebook / FOX Weather)
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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Image 1 of 6Hiking through the night to reach the climbing rangers and injured man. (Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)
![The rescuers take a break while climbing the mountain after several hours.]()
Image 2 of 6The rescuers take a break while climbing the mountain after several hours. (Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)
![The man was 12,500 feet up on Whitney Glacier.]()
Image 3 of 6The man was 12,500 feet up on Whitney Glacier. (Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)
![A group of rescuers stand along the side of the mountain.]()
Image 4 of 6A group of rescuers stand along the side of the mountain. (Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)
![The team making the ascent up Mount Shasta.]()
Image 5 of 6The team making the ascent up Mount Shasta. (Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)
![The team climbed all night Monday through Tuesday morning.]()
Image 6 of 6The team climbed all night Monday through Tuesday morning. (Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)
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 rescuers making an almost vertical descent with the stretcher that carries the injured man.
(Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office/Facebook / FOX Weather)
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.
Approaching the helicopter to load the injured man.
(Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office/Facebook / FOX Weather)
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.