A hiker immobilized by a spider bite in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California was rescued from certain death by a last-minute phone call.
Around 6:30 p.m. on June 12, a woman who had been trekking out of the John Muir Trail through the Taboose Pass due to too much snow called Inyo County search and rescue personnel. According to Inyo County officials, the woman was bitten by what she believed to be a spider as she was collecting water from a nearby creek.
The hiker was “unable to feel the skin on her legs.”
“Afterwards, she was unable to feel the skin on her legs and could not continue her hike down. She still managed to call for a rescue and relay her coordinates, then her phone battery died,” officials stated.
Just before midnight, county officers found the hiker thanks to her GPS, and they escorted her down the mountain pass.
“After assessing the patient, the rescuers slowly walked her down the tricky section of the trail while ensuring her safety with ropes, then transferred her into the wheeled litter where the trail became stable,” Inyo County search and rescue personnel stated.
Regarding the hiker’s condition, Inyo County officials did not disclose any more information.
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The highest mountain in the “lower 48” states, Mount Whitney in Inyo County, was discovered to be empty when two hikers were discovered dead there last month. After failing to return to camp for several hours, the two were reported missing by a third companion on May 7.
They had been trying to climb “the Notch” on the western face of the mountain. Regarding the most recent rescue, Inyo County officials advised, “Always bring a power bank for your phone, don’t use anything that can drain its battery, or – better yet – bring a satellite messaging device,” adding that nearly half of
