A hiker who got lost in Purisima Creek Open Space area Monday night was rescued with help from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office air support team, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
About 8 p.m. Monday, a friend reported the 68-year-old hiker missing after she’d been gone for an unusual amount of time. Sheriff’s officials would learn that the hiker had lost her glasses while out on the trail and could not see her way back.
The hiker, described only as a San Mateo County resident, “was crawling on her hands and knees for hours trying to navigate her way back to safety without clear sight,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement posted to social media (which shared the above photo from the rescue). “In addition, the woman’s cell phone battery died and she was not able to call out.”
The SMCSO Air Squadron’s air support team located her in a remote location of the open space area, the sheriff’s office said.
“With the assistance of CAL FIRE, CHP – Redwood City, CA Park Rangers, San Mateo County Parks Rangers, and the Coast Guard Station San Francisco we were able to rescue this woman and bring her back to safety with only minor scrapes,” the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office also reminded hikers to use the buddy system and bring along a cell phone, plenty of water, and a first aid kit.
For more information about local trail safety click here: here.
