Search and Rescue drone finds stranded hikers in the dark

A Search and Rescue drone was used to find stranded hikers in the dark in Weber Country, Utah. The pair had wondered off-trail by accident and became stranded on steep cliff last Friday. When they realized that it had become to dangerous to try and find the trail back as the evening set in, the couple decided to call for help.

On Facebook, the Weber County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue shared the following story about the rescue:

“Search & Rescue was called out last night to the east bench area of Ogden on two stranded hikers. The couple was hiking, when they wondered off trail by accident and became stranded in a cliff area. When they determined that it was too dangerous to get back to the trail in the dark, they called for help. A Search and Rescue drone found the couple and was able to guide a climb team to the couple's location. With the assistance of the climb team, everyone was able to get back to the trail and eventually back to the trailhead. The couple was prepared with proper clothing, headlamps and even had emergency blankets.”

One of the rescued hikers, Barbara Garrett responded on Facebook with the following message:

“Thank you thank you WCSO SAR!! You saved us and we are indebted to you! It is mighty frightening to be stuck on a mountain with no real trail and dropoffs everywhere. But you gave all the reassurance that I would make it down safely one step at a time. Being harnessed with a rope gave a real sense of security in that slippery soil on a steep descent! Derrick, Jim, John, Eli, Mark, Debbie and ALL others involved….you are the awesomest! I could never express enough gratitude for this amazing rescue…drone included!!❤❤❤”

I have reached out to Weber County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue to inquire about the type of drone that was used during the rescue. It seems likely that it would have been a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise as it can be outfitted with a Spotlight. I will update the post when I hear back from them.

Adam Lisberg from DJI keeps track of all the people saved with the help of drones around the world. The last time I have heard that number was well over 300 lives saved. And that was some months ago. I will reach out to him to see if he might have an updated number for us.