Hikers rescued from California’s Mount Shasta after ascent planned with incorrect AI information
By Carlos E. Castañeda
Three novice hikers became stranded on California’s Mount Shasta over the weekend after their AI-planned ascent to the summit turned into a multi-day ordeal requiring a rescue operation, authorities said.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said the rescue happened on Monday after the three young men from Roseville, California became stuck on the mountain during their descent.
According to a press release, the hikers made base camp at about 8,400 feet on Saturday and departed with daypacks for the Mount Shasta summit at 3 a.m. on Sunday. The men did not reach the summit until 7 p.m. that evening, well after the recommended turnaround time of noon, the sheriff’s office said. Turning back by noon allows hikers, or potential rescuers, to still have sufficient daylight to hike out.
Instead, the hikers descended from the summit in the dark. The sheriff’s office said that an hour into their descent, the men called sheriff’s dispatchers to ask for directions, but they eventually wandered off the route into the Mud Creek Canyon drainage on the mountain’s southern side. As the men continued their trek, one of them fell and injured his knee, and the group became stranded in Mud Creek Canyon, having to bivouac in the steep drainage until Monday morning, the office said.
The men were eventually met on Monday morning by a U.S. Forest Service Climbing Rangers team, and a sheriff’s search and rescue team was deployed to assist. All three hikers and the rescue teams were able to return to the trailhead without further incident, the office said.
Following the rescue, the men told a sheriff’s deputy that they had relied heavily on Google’s Gemini AI to provide them with information about the route to the summit and what to pack for their trip.
“This was a critical misstep, as they were advised by Gemini to bring far less food and water than their group required, especially when their planned 8 hour ascent became a multi-day ordeal,” the sheriff’s press statement said. “It is always advisable to call the local USFS Mount Shasta Ranger station ahead of your trip to ensure you have the most accurate information, and to never rely solely on AI for your trip planning.”
Aside from adhering to the 12 noon turnaround rule, hikers are advised to have multiple methods of wayfinding and not solely rely on a smartphone or smartwatch, and to stop and verify that you are on the correct route often, the sheriff’s office said.
