A volunteer rescue team from Mono County spent more than 15 hours extracting a climber who had strayed from his route and became stuck in a steep gully near Mammoth Lakes.
The man, identified as Rob Martin, balanced with only one foot fully planted on a six-inch ledge while repeatedly shifting his weight to keep his legs from tiring, according to team spokesperson Mitchell Quiring.
Quiring noted the extreme risk involved, stating that any fall would almost certainly be fatal. He credited Martin with maintaining composure and determination throughout the ordeal.
"He was not going to give up. He was going to push until there was a solution," Quiring said. "It's what we train for, so there's a lot of trust in leaning back on that."
The four-person team relied on specialized training in technical rescues for operations dispatched by the Mono County Sheriff's Office in the Sierra Nevada region, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.
This report is based on coverage by ABC7 Los Angeles: https://abc7news.com/post/mono-county-volunteers-rescue-climber-stranded-small-ledge-sierra-nevada-mammoth-lakes-california/19771031/