One of the markers at Garden of the Gods
SALINE/HARDIN COs., Ill. - A young man from Canada is very fortunate that the rescuers from Hardin County know their way around Garden of the Gods, and more importantly, that they are trained in retrieving stranded hikers - even in icy conditions.
The man in his late 20s, whose identity we're still working on obtaining, was the one rescued from Devil's Smokestack, a rock formation in the Shawnee National Forest not far from the famous Camel Rock featured here, in the late afternoon of Thursday, January 5.
He and a buddy were visiting friends in Madisonville, Kentucky, across the river from Hardin County, which happens to be where the rescue crew is from; Hardin County Emergency Management Agency is specifically trained in locating and rescuing lost hikers in the SNF that spans several downstate counties, including Saline and Hardin.
Even if that rescue involves rappelling on icy rock outcroppings.
HCEMA located the guy, who had climbed off a formation called "Monkey Rock" that's actually above Devil's Smokestack. He was sitting on a 4-foot by 4-foot ledge and couldn't go up OR down due to the snowy weather and cold that had rendered most of the park icy and dangerous.
However, a rappeller took a double harness down from Monkey Rock, and got to the guy, then latched him into the harness and, carrying the hiker basically across his legs, the rappeller went all the way down Devil's Smokestack to the bottom of GotG, and EMA was able to walk the guy out. The rescue was effected at about 5:30, an hour and a half after the initial call. Rescue crews returned to base at about 8:30, according to official reports.
It's our understanding the guy got a stern talking-to by personnel on-scene, who also risked life and limb in order to bring the guy out safely.
If we learn more, we'll post it.