The Santa Barbara Search and Rescue team on Sunday plucked a 35-year-old woman and her 11-year-old daughter from halfway up a 200-foot-tall rock face near Painted Cave. They had parked their car on Painted Cave Road above the monument area and set off on what they thought was a trail leading to the site. When the trail ended at the rock face, they attempted to climb down but became stuck and couldn’t continue.
A group of nearby motorcyclists heard the pair’s cries for help and called 911. Dispatchers directed 11 rescuers to the site, who rappelled down to the two, outfitting them with safety helmets, gloves, and harnesses, and then lowering them the rest of the way. They walked away uninjured.