Video shows nighttime cliff rescue of Point Reyes hikers by Sonoma County Sheriff’s helicopter
By: Sonoma County first responders rescued two people on a sunset hike Sunday night who were stranded on cliffs near Alamere Falls in Point Reyes National Seashore, authorities said.
Video released by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Monday shows the pair being plucked from a cliff shortly after 9 p.m. by Henry-1 helicopter crew.
“I gotcha,” the tactical flight officer can be heard saying to the first hiker after pulling off from the cliff.
“Thank you,” the hiker responds.
According to officials, as the hikers were on their way back from watching the sunset, they became stuck in the remote location by the incoming tide, which cut off their path back to the trailhead.
Due to the location, Marin County Fire Department requested Henry-1, which utilized the helicopter’s belly lights and searchlight to conduct the nighttime rescue.
After locating the hikers about 200 feet up from the ocean on a small ledge, the helicopter landed on a nearby bluff. The crew configured a 100-foot line, which the tactical flight officer used to reach the pair in flight. The officer placed the two people in a horse collar rescue device and the helicopter flew them back to the nearby bluff one at a time, officials said.
The Henry-1 paramedic evaluated the hikers on the bluff and determined that they were uninjured. They were then loaded into the helicopter and flown to a parking lot where they were released to personnel with the Bolinas Fire Department. Both were treated for cold exposure.