RAVEN crew hoists three hikers from 8,600-foot Sierra Buttes ridge

Three hikers were lifted from a steep ridge in Northern California by helicopter on Sunday.

The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office received an SOS signal from a Garmin inReach device at 2:30 p.m. The alert routed through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to county dispatchers. Officials located the group just south of a lookout tower near the summit of the Sierra Buttes.

Deputies activated a search and rescue response and requested assistance from the Nevada County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Mountain Rescue Team. They also called in the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office RAVEN helicopter crew. The Sierra Buttes rise above the North Yuba River canyon and reach approximately 8,600 feet, according to the Pacific Crest Trail Association.

Rescuers lowered a team member from the aircraft to reach the stranded hikers due to the hazardous location and difficult terrain. The crew then hoisted all three individuals off the mountainside and transported them to a landing zone where Sierra County deputies waited. The sheriff’s office credited the involved teams with professionalism and coordination in completing the operation.

Authorities did not specify how the hikers became stranded or report any injuries. Social media users praised the RAVEN team and regional emergency responders for their rapid response. One commenter noted that Sheriff Balaam’s use of the RAVEN unit demonstrates the team’s value to the region.

The extraction follows two other high-profile rescues on Northern California mountains earlier this month. A 39-year-old man from Florida suffered a severe leg injury after falling through a snow bridge on the Whitney Glacier last week. Crews carried him to a viable landing zone the day after the initial rescue attempt due to bad weather. Earlier in the month, a 19-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman from Salt Lake City were rescued from Mount Shasta after a 36-hour ordeal between cliffs. Both individuals were uninjured.