Photo: Inyo County Search & Rescue
A hiker is lucky to be alive after getting trapped underneath a massive boulder below the Santa Rita Flat in Inyo County, California.
By the time a rescue team located the hiker, he had been pinned for roughly seven hours, and the sun had set.
"The SAR team arrived at the hiker's location well after dark, finding the hiker in great pain with his left leg pinned beneath a large boulder on a steep hillside. Team members estimated the boulder to weigh between 6,000 and 10,000 pounds," Inyo County Search and Rescue said in a statement.
The rescue crew was able to free the man by using a system of ropes and pulleys to lift the boulder. Because the hiker sustained severe injuries and due to the rugged terrain, the rescuers had to airlift the hiker off the mountain in the dark.
The rescue was even more difficult because the helicopter could not land nearby. To rescue the hiker, a medic with the U.S. Navy had to rappel from the helicopter and then secure the hiker so they could both be pulled back up.
"Challenges encountered on this mission included coordination of multiple agencies and resources; accessing an accident scene in steep, loose rocky terrain; using limited resources to move a large boulder; managing a severely injured patient for several hours while awaiting the helicopter extrication; assisting in a nighttime helicopter hoist; all in chilly December darkness," Search and Rescue explained.
Authorities did not provide details about the hiker's injuries or their condition.