Coast Guard press release:

Last night the Coast Guard rescued four hikers stranded on a remote cliff five miles south of the Klamath River near Damnation Creek. 

At 6:03 pm the Coast Guard received a request for air support from the Del Norte County Sheriff’s office to assist in a search for the stranded hikers. A Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched from the Arcata airport to aide in the search. 

While the helicopter crew conducted the search on night vision goggles, the survivors took refuge by climbing 10’ up a tree (the most stable location on the cliff). The survivors signaled the helicopter crew by using a light from their cellular phone, which allowed the rescuers to locate them. The Coast Guard helicopter crew hoisted two hikers from the tree and transported them to Jack McNamara airport in Crescent City, then returned for the remaining two hikers. The four hikers were not prepared to spend the night in the wilderness and arrived uninjured at the airport.