Two quick-thinking hikers helped save a woman after she slipped near the edge of a rock and became stranded on a ledge at Yosemite National Park.
Brian Moran and his son, Ian, had just completed their Half Dome hike on October 12, shortly after 2 p.m., when they heard a woman scream.
Witnesses said the woman lost her footing near the lower portion of the cables and slid down the steep rock face, according to SFGATE.
As she tumbled downward, flailing her arms, she tried to spread her body across the rock in an effort to slow her descent.
She appeared to be heading toward a sheer drop, leaving Brian and Ian convinced they were about to witness a tragedy as strong winds swept across the mountain.
‘I just was shouting, “No, no, no!” because I knew she was dead,’ Brian Moran told SFGATE.
‘And then she stopped, and I just couldn’t believe it,’ he added.
The woman managed to catch hold of the rock, but the scene quickly turned frantic. Brian, Ian and other onlookers began crying as they feared she could lose her grip at any moment.
Two quick-thinking hikers helped rescue a woman who slipped on a rock and was left clinging to a ledge at Yosemite
Witnesses said the woman slid down the steep rock face after losing her footing near the lower section of the cables
Rather than freeze in the chaos, 20-year-old Ian quickly began working out how he could reach her.
He scrambled up the cliff while his father and the other hikers watched.
‘Hey, slow down, don’t put yourself at risk,’ Brian warned. ‘That doesn’t help anything,’ he shouted, according to SFGATE.
At the same time, the woman’s fiancé climbed toward her in an attempt to help.
But he soon lost his footing and ended up pressed against the mountain, gripping a narrow ledge with only his fingertips.
When Ian reached the couple, he encouraged them to remain calm and assured them that assistance was coming. He could see, however, that the fiancé was quickly tiring and losing his hold.
In the rush to begin their hike that morning, the Morans had accidentally left their newly purchased rope, gloves and carabiners at their campsite.
Ian realized his sticky climbing shoes would not allow him to reach the pair safely without additional equipment, so he asked a bystander to call emergency services.
Ian scrambled up the cliff as his father and other onlookers watched the rescue effort unfold
Ian reached the couple and urged them to stay calm while help was summoned, though the fiancé was rapidly losing his grip (stock image)
US Air Force veteran David Morgenstern arrived moments later and began directing the improvised rescue
About ten tense minutes later, two hikers arrived with a rope and joined the rescue attempt.
Ian and the hikers searched for nylon-like material and began assembling a makeshift harness that could be connected to a pole.
They also collected carabiners and slings that other hikers had been using to attach themselves to the cables.
Soon afterward, US Air Force veteran David Morgenstern reached the area and began offering safety instructions.
Morgenstern used two carabiners and a sling to anchor and lower the equipment line, while assigning another rescuer to stabilize the pole on the ground.
He checked the knots securing the chain of carabiners as Brian and several other hikers positioned themselves along the line.
Ian then volunteered for the most dangerous part of the operation. He edged down the steep rock, holding on with his right hand while extending his left toward the stranded man.
With frightened spectators watching and one woman praying aloud, Ian finally caught the man’s hand and pulled him to safety.
Morgenstern later reached the woman, then called 911 to report that the rescue had been completed
Although Ian had returned to solid ground, the rescue was far from over.
He immediately joined the human chain as the group tried to reach the woman, who remained stranded farther down the slope.
The rescuers gathered another sling and additional carabiners while calling down to reassure her.
When the chain still did not reach far enough, Morgenstern proposed connecting the climbers’ harnesses together.
Looking back on the improvised equipment, Morgenstern joked that he hoped MacGyver would have approved of their resourceful solution.
Morgenstern then asked Ian, ‘I’ll go down to get her, if you’re OK with that,’ and Ian agreed.
‘My confidence level in my ability to get her, backed by the team, was higher than my confidence in her ability to safely stay where she was, especially with the wind picking up,’ Morgenstern told SFGATE.
Using the harness, Morgenstern formed a chain with seven men and moved toward the woman, urging her to stay calm as light snow began to fall.
He ultimately reached the woman and brought her to safety before calling 911 to report that the emergency had been resolved.
The Daily Mail contacted a Yosemite parks spokesperson for additional comment.