The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team rescued a lost and cold hiker on Thursday, November 14.
In an online post, rescuers say the hiker was not prepared for the colder temperatures and could not find his way back down the mountain.
Two of the search and rescue team's hasty members began searching for the hiker at about 1 a.m. on Thursday from the Lily Lake Trailhead based on coordinates provided to dispatch.
Rescuers say then encountered several inches of snow and very slippery conditions at the steepest parts of the Mid-Tallac Trail but were able to locate tracks that led down the mountain.
Rescuers say they assumed the tracks were the lost hikers, followed them, and found the hiker a few hundred yards down the trail using lights and whistles at around 4 a.m.
After providing the hiker with warmer clothing, the two rescuers, accompanied by two other rescuers who had caught up, took the hiker down the mountain on the less treacherous Glen Alpine trail, reaching the Lily Trailhead around 7:30 a.m.
Rescuers say that this rescue should be a reminder to all hikers to properly prepare with navigation tools and gear for the appropriate conditions when you go out on a hike.
They say it only takes a few inches of snow to cover all signs of a trail.
(El Dorado County Search and Rescue contributed to this story.)
