Heat-Exhausted Teen Rescued from Rattlesnake Trail

Suffering from heat exhaustion, a 14-year-old boy was rescued Saturday from Rattlesnake Trail. Just before noon, an off-duty nurse called 9-1-1 after she spotted the teen about one mile above the trailhead near Skofield Park. While hiking with his father, the boy had run ahead up the trail, overexerted himself in the over 80-degree temperatures, and become dehydrated, said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kelly Hoover in a prepared statement.

Responding to the call for help, Santa Barbara County’s Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SBCSAR) Team hiked into the teen’s location. Cooling him and carrying him down the trail on a stretcher — with help from County Fire, City Fire, Montecito’s fire department, and the U.S. Forest Service — the boy was transported to safety, where it was determined he’d recovered enough to go home with his father, said Hoover.