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In what Southern Humboldt Technical Rescue called “our most complex rescue to date,” three hikers were rescued from the cliff above No Pass Point south of Shelter Cove on Sunday, Jan. 29.
The two men, Pierce Shippam, Timothy Phillips, and one woman, Whitney Hackett, as well as two dogs had hiked down a creek to the ocean on Saturday, Jan. 28. When the tide started coming in they clambered up the cliff. They ended up stranded in an area of Pampas grass and used a cell phone to call for help.
According to hiker Whitney Hackett, the whole undertaking was ... a spiritual experience, beautiful and terrifying at the same time. We hiked from our friend’s property down a creek. We got to the ocean and our adrenaline was pumping. The hikers and their dogs reached a point where they could see the other side and realized it was even more dangerous on that side than on the first side. Then we realized we were stuck on the other side of No Pass Point. The tide was coming in and we decided to climb over. By sunset we decided that we couldn’t see where we were going and needed to call for help.
They called 911 and were transferred to Shelter Cove Fire Department.
Hackett said they thought maybe something would happen that night but because it was dark they would have to wait until morning. They decided to make a camp as best they could and made a fire with some grass. They had some snacks and a little water. They made a bed with a bunch of grass in the safest spot even though it was slanted. Buddy (a blue heeler) and Bruce Lee (an Australian Shepherd mix) were really amazing. They helped keep the hikers warm.
The three decided to conserve their cell phone and not call family and friends so no one was concerned about their plight. Hackett said, “We hadn’t talked to anybody yet.”
Diana Totten, advisor for the Southern Humboldt Technical Rescue Team arrived at the scene at 8:40 a.m. Sunday morning. According to Totten, the stranded hikers were in good health and had cell phones. Although they were stuck on the side of a cliff they were uninjured.
Totten said the rescue was “very, very tricky.” The SHTR had to go up a cliff to get to a place they could “side hill across” to reach the stranded hikers. The plans last night had been to get help from the Coast Guard but the ship was unable to get close to the cliff so that plan was scrapped.
Shelter Cove Fire used a rescue boat to shuttle people and items close to the cliff and crews accessed the area with quads to bring in additional gear.
Totten described a terrifying rescue attempt being set up by the well-respected Southern Humboldt Technical Rescue team (SHTR) and Shelter Cove Fire crew. “The risk level was extreme,” she explained. The crew lead by Aurora Studebaker was amazing. They risked their lives and all their training came into play to save these people.
The all-volunteer crews (no government agency people were involved at this point) shot a rope over No Pass Rock with equipment borrowed from a local resident.
Totten said, “Their first rescuer got within 50 feet of them and once we reached them, we had to rappel down a 150-foot cliff. There were two levels. The first took them to where the rescuer was and then down to the second level. It was crazy. You could hear the ocean beside me as the tide came in.
”SHTR and Shelter Cove Fire rigged ropes and were able to access victims within the next hour. We were battling a tide that was coming in and had a rescue boat waiting.”
Totten said this was one of the trickiest rescues that a team could actually encounter. If the victims were below, they would have tied off a rope above and rappelled down, but these people were above them. They had to get ropes above them. That was the tricky part. The crew was working safely but it would be hours before the hikers and their dogs were safely lowered.
The dogs complicated the extraction. The two dogs on the cliff were medium-sized and required special harnesses to get them down. The harnesses even have flotation devices in them that will keep the dogs afloat in the eventuality of them ending up in the water.
Totten explained that the stranded hikers survived the chilly ocean night air because they had jackets, a little water and they conserved battery power by not calling out on their cell phones.” She was relieved that none of the people were injured, which would have complicated the procedure.
The Coast Guard could not send a helicopter to help with the rescue due to the straightness of the bank. The rotors would have it the side and the risk was too high.
At 11:45 one of the rescuers reached the victims. They brought them down to the beach one at a time.
Totten said she is grateful that the Southern Humboldt Technical Rescue team and Shelter Cove Fire have received grants and raised a lot of money from fundraisers. “We are dealing with equipment bought with money from Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services. [The crew has] the best equipment and has spent a lot of years training. As I sit here, it looks like the Navy Seals are here. We have 18 people that are doing the rescue here.”
Hiker Whitney Hackett described the rescue as being a long wait but it was definitely the right decision. I felt really well taken care of and safe. The boys each had a dog in their arms. We were tucked into a harness on a pulley system going down. I just tried not to look down.
Everyone, the dogs included, were relieved to be down from the ledge as the dogs barked happily in the background, Hackett said.
They’re really happy. We’re all happy. It all worked out for the best ... just really sore bodies and some scrapes. I’m inspired by the fire department. It was an awakening experience to see what they had going on. I feel really good about [them.]
By 2 p.m. the rescue was almost complete with the three people as well as dogs happy and healthy.
Thanks to all the volunteers who spent an entire day to save others.
Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Kym Kemp and Dianna Totten for their assistance with this story.
photo caption:
PHOTO COURTESY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Members of the Southern Humboldt Technical Rescue team with the rescued hikers and their two canine friends. Dianna Totten’s dog, shown in the middle, was there to greet his canine friends.
