A stranded climber was rescued from the west face of Mt. Yonah Tuesday night after White County Public Safety (WCPS) received a 911 call. The call came in shortly after 7:00.
The climber became stranded while “free climbing” the face of the mountain. “The individual was not injured but was stuck on a ledge and unable to safely continue up or down the mountain,” according to a news release. (Free climbing means scaling a rock wall or mountain using only your hands and feet.)
White County Emergency Management deployed its drone, which was instrumental in quickly locating the climber about 260 feet up the mountain, officials said. Fire personnel made their way to the area and determined the climber was stranded on an approximately 20″ x 20″ ledge with no safe way to exit.
Firefighter Will Roper rappelled down the face of the mountain to reach the stranded climber. Working with personnel operating the rope system from above, Roper was able to secure the climber, who was then pulled to safety.
The rescue was completed in about 45 minutes.
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