Woman clings to tree over cliff for hours while waiting for help
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STANLEY — An Arizona woman clung to a pine tree over a cliff Thursday morning while waiting hours to be rescued.
Donna Vetter, 53, of Scottsdale, Arizona, was hiking back from Goat Lake when she became stuck on a rocky ledge overlooking the Sawtooth Valley, officials say.
The Custer County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call around 10 a.m. from someone who said the woman was “hanging onto a pine tree overlooking a 100-foot cliff,” according to a news release.
The Custer County Search and Rescue unit was called to the scene and the Custer County Sheriff’s Office was able to make contact with the hiker.
“A lone pine tree was her only companion for the next three and a half hours while she waited for rescuers from SAWSAR and Sawtooth Mountain Guides to climb to her location and help her back to the trail,” a news release states.
Vetter was not injured and rescue crews escorted her back to her vehicle.
Officials remind everyone that cell phones do not work everywhere and hiking alone is very dangerous.
“Hikers – know your limitations and never over-estimate your abilities. Buddy hikers are far more likely to result in rescue during an incident, than those that hike alone,” the news release says.