Don Sweeney
The Idaho Statesman
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — A hunter stranded 80 to 100 feet down a Santa Barbara County cliff fired a gunshot to summon help, California firefighters say.
Other hunters found the man in the Upper Oso area in the Los Padres National Forest early Saturday, Aug. 12, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department reported on Twitter.
They lowered a cable to help the man to a ledge, then left to summon firefighters, the post said.
Fire rescue crews carried the man to safety at 1:13 a.m. using a rope system, a video shows. He was taken to the hospital with a severe leg injury.
At nearly 2 million acres, Los Padres is the third-largest national forest in California, the Forest Service says. It stretches for more than 200 miles along coastal mountain ranges and draws millions of visitors each year.
___
©2022 The Idaho Statesman