Two quick-thinking bystanders rescued a hiker after she slipped on a rock’s edge and was left clinging to a ledge in Yosemite.
The father-son duo, Brian and Ian Moran, were finishing their Half Dome hike on October 12, a little after 2pm, when they heard a woman’s loud screech.
Onlookers reported seeing a woman slip near the lower section of the cables and slide helplessly down the rock face, according to SFGATE.
As she screamed and flailed her arms, the woman tried to spread out her body to break her fall as she rapidly gained speed.
Heading straight toward what seemed like a sheer drop, both the father and son feared the worst as the wind picked up.
‘I just was shouting, ‘No, no, no!’ because I knew she was dead,” Brian Moran told SFGATE.
‘And then she stopped, and I just couldn’t believe it,’ he added.
Chaos erupted as the woman hung on – and Morans and other bystanders said they started crying because they thought she was about to die.
Two quick-thinking bystanders rescued a hiker after she slipped on a rock’s edge and was left clinging to a ledge in Yosemite
Onlookers reported seeing a woman slip near the lower section of the cables and slide helplessly down the rock face
Instead of panicking, 20-year-old Ian mapped out a plan to save the woman.
Ian leaped up the cliff as onlookers, including his father, watched the heroic act.
‘Hey, slow down, don’t put yourself at risk,’ said Brian. ‘That doesn’t help anything,’ he yelled out, according to SFGATE.
Simultaneously, the woman’s fiancé climbed near the rock to reach her.
But in a split second, he lost his balance and ended up pinned flat against the mountain, hanging onto a narrow ledge by his fingertips.
Once Ian reached the couple, he shouted words of encouragement, reassuring them that help was on the way and urging them to stay calm, though he could tell the fiancé was rapidly losing his grip.
The Morans accidentally left their newly purchased rope, gloves and carabiners back at their campsite during the morning rush.
When he realized his sticky climbing shoes weren’t enough to reach the pair safely without gear, Ian instructed a bystander to call emergency services.
Ian leaped up the cliff as onlookers, including his father, watched the heroic act
Once Ian reached the couple, he shouted words of encouragement, reassuring them that help was on the way and urging them to stay calm, though he could tell the fiancé was rapidly losing his grip (stock image)
Moments later, US Air Force Veteran David Morgenstern arrived on the rock to give safety instructions
After ten tense minutes, two hikers carrying a rope joined the rescue attempt.
The hikers and Ian searched for a nylon-like fabric as they worked to connect their constructed harness to a pole.
They collected multiple carabiners and slings that hikers used to attach their harnesses to the cables.
Moments later, US Air Force Veteran David Morgenstern arrived on the rock to give safety instructions.
Morgenstern quickly grabbed two carabiners and a sling to anchor and lower the gear line, while assigning one rescuer to secure the ground pole.
Morgenstern then assessed the knots on the chained carabiner as other hikers, including Brian, positioned themselves along the chains.
Ian challenged himself to do the most dangerous job; he scooted down the steep rock, gripping with his right hand and reaching for the stranded man with his left.
As terrified onlookers watched in fear, one woman prayed aloud, her voice rising as Ian grabbed the man’s hand and successfully hauled him to safety.
Morgenstern rescued the woman, then called 911 to report the incident and said that it was resolved
Though Ian was back on the ground, his safety was only temporary.
He immediately joined the human chain in a desperate attempt to rescue the woman, but she remained trapped too far down the slope.
Realizing they needed additional gear, the team scrambled to gather another sling and more carabiners while shouting down to reassure her.
When the chain still fell short, Morgenstern suggested linking their climbing harnesses together.
Reflecting on his quick thinking, Morgenstern joked that he hoped MacGyver would be proud of the resourceful setup.
Morgenstern then asked Ian, ‘I’ll go down to get her, if you’re OK with that,’ which Ian agreed.
Morgenstern told SFGATE, ‘My confidence level in my ability to get her, backed by the team, was higher than my confidence in her ability to safely stay where she was, especially with the wind picking up.’
He then grabbed the harness, formed a new chain with seven men, and told the woman to stay calm as he scooted her up a rock as it began snowing lightly.
Morgenstern rescued the woman, then called 911 to report the incident and said that it was resolved.
The Daily Mail reached out to the Yosemite parks spokesperson for further comment.
