ASTREA rescues female hikers from Cedar Creek Falls trail

Two 19-year-old female hikers were airlifted from the Cedar Creek Falls trail Monday afternoon, due to dehydration, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputy John West said the sheriff’s department received a 911 call between 2 and 3 p.m. from one of the hikers. A sheriff’s ASTREA helicopter, in the area because of the Chariot Fire, responded.

The female hikers were on their way back from the falls and were about 1-1/2 miles from the top of the trail, he said. Because the helicopter had to land several hundred yards from the females, two male hikers who were nearby assisted in carrying the dehydrated female to the aircraft, the deputy said.

“She was pretty dehydrated and kind of in and out of consciousness,” he noted, adding that the second female said she was OK.

However, after flying the first female to Ramona’s Fire Station 81, West said they got a call from her friend and returned to pick her up.

“The second one was in a lot better shape,” he said.

West said he did not know where the females resided and if they were taken to the hospital.

The U.S. Forest Service reopened Cedar Creek Falls trail under a visitor use permit system in April, following its closure in July 2011 when a teenager fell to his death at the falls and numerous rescues were performed for unprepared hikers.

The forest service cautions that summer temperatures in that area frequently exceed 115 degrees and advises hikers to bring a minimum of one gallon of water per person to avoid dehydration and heat-related illness.