Search Team Rescues Hikers

Two hikers were stranded in the Seven Falls area and had to be rescued by the Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue team Thursday evening.

A call came in around 6:30 p.m. from the cell phone of one of the hikers — both are in their mid-20s — telling authorities they were lost and stranded near Seven Falls. The caller told dispatch she was stuck on a cliff overlooking one of the pools.

Two members of the search and rescue team hiked up the ridge trail leading out of Mission Creek, and used whistles, lights, and night vision equipment to find the hikers. The rescuers had to climb down a steep 200-foot gulley to reach the two, according to authorities.

Nine search and rescue volunteers responded to find the hikers wet and cold but uninjured. The rescue team gave them dry clothes and heat packs to warm their core areas, according to authorities, while other rescuers set up a rope system to help the hikers down a 15-foot ledge. Eventually they were led down to the trailhead, and released just after 8 p.m. after being evaluated by a medical team.