Two hikers from Oregon have been rescued by helicopter in Yosemite National Park after heavy snows stranded them for six days on the side of a rugged mountain.
A park spokeswoman says Teri Smith and Chris Hoffman of Sherwood, Oregon, are tired — but they’re uninjured. They were flown to Yosemite Valley.
The two set out November fourth for a five-day trek to the Clark Range, a remote group of peaks above 11,000 feet elevation.
When a snow storm blew in Thursday and Friday, Hoffman and Smith hunkered down at ten-thousand feet in blizzard-like conditions. When skies cleared, they stayed put because they couldn’t make progress in the chest-deep snow.
In the meantime, they rationed food and planned to hike out today. Family members reported them missing yesterday.
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 5:35 pm