Rescuers Make Shock Discovery in Hunt for Hiker, 72, Days After 100-Foot Fall

Rescuers discovered that a 72-year-old hiker had astonishingly survived several days in the Northern California wilderness after falling roughly 100 feet down a steep embankment. Authorities say that Mary Beth Granbery, a resident of Mount Shasta, had suffered significant injuries, including a severe injury to her knee. She was also “nonverbal” and disoriented, showing signs of exposure. Granbery is understood to have left home on Sept. 28 for a camping trip and was expected back at work on Oct. 2. When she did not return, her family alerted authorities, who sent out a search-and-rescue team of about 25 people. The crew quickly found her camper van at a trailhead in Cabin Creek, Shasta County, on Saturday. They finally located her the following day. Due to difficult terrain, she was airlifted out of the basin where she had fallen before being taken to hospital. Authorities have not provided an update on Granbery’s condition but said information that her family provided was crucial in tracking her down.

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