Ill-equipped hiker trapped for two frigid nights on notorious California mountain

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A pair of running shoes and a sweatshirt were no match for Mount Shasta’s icy wilderness, where a 39-year-old Florida man spent two nights stranded with a badly injured leg before a massive rescue operation finally got him off the mountain.

The climber’s misadventure left even experienced rescuers battling the elements, with helicopter evacuations repeatedly scuttled by weather and ground crews confronting freezing temperatures, dangerous rockfalls and winds reaching 60 mph.

His troubles began after he reached the 14,179-foot summit Sunday afternoon. An erroneous GPS route sent him onto the Whitney Glacier, where he fell through a snow bridge at 12,600 feet and severely injured his leg.

When he called 911 around 5 p.m., the man had little to sustain him — a small amount of food and water, trekking poles and clothing woefully inadequate for an overnight stay in the cold.

“At the time of his distress call Sunday evening, the injured climber was wearing only sweatpants, a sweatshirt, and running shoes, and was not equipped for an overnight stay on the glacier,” the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said.

The glacier is known as the coldest part of Mount Shasta, and temperatures had fallen below freezing. High winds and poor visibility kept rescuers at bay until late Monday morning, when two US Forest Service climbing rangers reached the injured man.

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They treated him for his leg injury, frostbite and the onset of hypothermia, then tried to evacuate him by helicopter. The weather had other plans, forcing the rangers to remain overnight with the climber at roughly 12,500 feet.

Meanwhile, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office assembled more than 30 additional rescue personnel to mount a ground extraction.

“The USFS Climbing Rangers had to then spend another harrowing night at 12,500 ft with the injured man, as the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office mobilized over 30 additional search and rescue personnel to perform a ground extraction,” deputies said.

By Tuesday, the stakes were rising. Officials said the man’s condition was “deteriorating rapidly” as crews navigated treacherous terrain and 50 to 60 mph winds.

Rescuers reached him around 1:30 p.m. and carried him farther down the mountain. A break in the weather finally allowed a California Highway Patrol helicopter to reach the team on Shastina Peak and airlift the man to safety.

He was hospitalized with injuries including frostbite to his foot and leg.

His name and Florida hometown have not been released.

Volunteers from as far away as the San Francisco Bay Area and Oregon joined the effort.