Two hikers who were stranded for three days after they fell 800-feet down a cliffside in the San Jacinto Mountains were finally rescued early Wednesday, somehow surviving the brutal winter elements.
The rescue efforts began on Saturday afternoon, when authorities were alerted that the duo, Veda Lin and Christopher Ng, had fallen down Tahquitz Peak, located about 8,900 feet above Idyllwild, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office .
A RSO helicopter was sent to the area and “made several attempts to hoist the victims,” but they were unable to do so due to powerful gusts of wind. There were also attempts from aircraft belonging to Cal Fire helicopter, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Orange County Fire Authority, but low clouds and high winds similarly prevented them from lifting the hikers to safety…