Man rescued after Calif. hiking fall

By Sarah Kingsbury
The Chico Enterprise-Record (California)

CHICO, Calif. — A man is in fair condition after falling about 10 feet and hitting his head on a rock while hiking in a remote area Sunday morning.

Kent Jessen, 48, was reportedly climbing on a rock when he slipped and fell, hitting his head, during an advanced hike with 14 other people in the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve.

Cal Fire-Butte County Battalion Chief Greg McFadden said someone in the hiking group ran back out of the canyon to get cell phone service to call emergency personnel.

Search and rescue crews had to hike over a mile to get to Jessen, who was slipping in and out of unconscious and having seizures when help arrived, McFadden said.

A crew of about 30 responded from Cal Fire-Butte County, Butte County Fire Department, Butte County Search and Rescue, Chico Fire Department, Enloe Medical Center and Company 24, a volunteer firefighter group from Forest Ranch.

An Enloe FlightCare helicopter was able to land in a meadow near the main office of the ecological center, but it took three crews almost two hours to extricate Jessen from the place he fell, McFadden said. One crew began advanced life support, another worked on removing him from the canyon and the third did some minor rigging and rope work to get Jessen over tough areas.

McFadden said Jessen had a wound to the front of his head that made it appear as though he tried to turn and land on his feet after he slipped.

Jessen was listed in fair condition at Enloe Medical Center Sunday.