Two hikers who got stranded on a treacherous cliff near Multnomah Falls were able to navigate their way back to safety Sunday morning, officials reported. The duo had been stuck since Saturday afternoon when they found themselves unable to ascend or descend from their precarious position. According to KATU, the hikers alerted emergency services around 5:45 p.m. and clung to the fading life of their cell phones as they awaited rescue.
The search operation spearheaded by Clackamas County Search and Rescue and Corbett Fire Department faced challenges due to the rugged terrain and dense vegetation, "There was way too much vegetation, all briars, and thorns, so we were never able to deploy the ropes," Deputy John Plock of Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said in a statement obtained by KOIN. Rescue teams, including a drone from the Corbett Fire Department, used signal triangulation from cell towers to determine the hikers' location, then, once their phones had died, to locate them more precisely.
The rescue efforts continued throughout the night, and by early Sunday, officials were able to make contact using drones sent out by Portland's Gresham PD. "They waved at the drones and were aware rescue efforts were underway," said Plock, per KATU. However, it wasn't until the break of dawn that the women decided to make a move, solving their predicament through their own mettle and daylight clarity.
Their self-rescue is an aftermath of an unfortunate event where a day prior, another hiker fell to her death in the same region, highlighting the dangers of the area's trails. Plock underscored the unpredictable nature of these expeditions in a KPTV interview, "You can start a hike and it’s a really nice day, and then the weather can turn and it can get really bad. So people need to be prepared. People need to plan for the worst-case scenario." Fortunately, in this instance, the hikers emerged from the woods without physical harm shortly before 10 a.m. on Sunday, a testament to both their resolve and the efforts of the search teams that worked through the night to ensure their safety.
