A man was rescued in an early morning operation involving a helicopter after getting lost off-trail in Sedona and yelling for help.
On Sunday around 9 p. Because it was dark and the hikers were unable to locate the man who was calling out, they reported the incident to the Sedona Police Department. The hiker was stranded on a ledge with no safe way for rescue teams to reach him in the dark, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The forest patrol deputy with the department also realized they would be unable to rescue or get supplies to the stranded hiker. After midnight, a Ranger helicopter was able to rescue the man and take him to safety.
The rescued hiker was uninjured. He told rescuers he had been hiking since noon and when it started getting dark tried to go off trail to reach the bottom of the mountain. The department stressed this situation is an example of why it is important to stay on the trail.
This is the second rescue in less than a week of Sedona hikers by the Sheriff's Office. Eight hikers were found safe after being stranded during a snowstorm on Jan. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hiker rescued after being stranded in the dark on a ledge in Sedona.
