Two young hikers visiting California from Utah spent approximately 36 hours walking through freezing conditions on Mount Shasta before rescuers found them stranded between cliffs in a steep gulch, authorities said.
The 19-year-old man and 20-year-old woman from Salt Lake City were located Tuesday afternoon in Cascade Gulch, roughly 1,000 feet from the McBride Springs Trail, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office. Neither was injured.
The hikers had set out at 4 a.m. Monday for what they expected to be a day hike while a friend attempted to reach the summit. They reached the Red Banks area at approximately 5 p.m., five hours after the recommended turnaround time for climbing Mount Shasta.
At approximately 10:20 p.m., the pair called authorities from the Avalanche Gulch area at an elevation of about 11,000 feet. Temperatures had fallen to between 14 and 16 degrees, and the hikers did not have enough clothing, food or water to remain there safely overnight…