When Shelby Seabaugh began her hike to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park in California on September 7, she had no idea she would be flown off the mountain in a helicopter. This video documents her adventure that day.
When she reached the top, the Meadow Fire burning east of their location caused Park officials to decide that all 85 of the hikers on Half Dome would have to be evacuated by helicopters.
Four agencies supplied the ships that hauled the hikers off the mountain: the California Highway Patrol, U.S. Forest Service, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, and CAL FIRE.
If you are not inclined to watch the entire 17-minute video, which includes the hike from the bottom to the top, and the helicopter ride back down again, you can start at about 10:30 which is when the group was near the top and includes some interesting views down onto the Meadow fire. At 11:30 it appears that helitack personnel are briefing the hikers about their upcoming helicopter ride.
More information about the Meadow Fire.
Below are some screen grabs from the video (which can be viewed on YouTube).
The Tweet below appears to be from another group of hikers that were flown off Half Dome that day.
Our ride off half dome. Insane day watching the fire. 80 people evacuated to safety. #yosemitefire #HalfDome pic.twitter.com/ZpIq4lk9AR
— Teresa Yung (@tnyung) September 8, 2014
