Five Marin County teens and other Bay Area rescuers joined a 30-person effort to evacuate a stranded climber who fell into a crevasse after summiting Mount Shasta, severely injuring his leg as dangerous weather kept helicopters from reaching him.Eleven Marin County Search and Rescue members, includi ng five high school students, were among the crews who spent nearly three days trying to bring the injured climber off the mountain, as SFGate reports. High winds, falling rocks, and unstable snow and ice made the evacuation especially dangerous, with helicopter crews repeatedly unable to reach the group.The Marin County Sheriff's Office wrote on social media that the rescue may have been one of the most challenging missions its search and rescue team had ever undertaken. According to Bay Area News Group, the 39-year-old Florida man had climbed the 14,179-foot peak alone, reaching the summit Sunday afternoon via the Avalanche Gulch route. His GPS device directed him down the Whitney Glacier route on the mountain’s northwest side, where he fell through a snow bridge into a crevasse at about 12,600 feet, severely injuring his leg and leaving him unable to walk.The climber managed to call 911 around 5 pm, but he had not told anyone where he was going, and his car was parked on the opposite side of the mountain, per SFGate. Wearing only a sweatshirt and sweatpants, he spent his first night on the glacier with little food or equipment to protect him from freezing temperatures.Two US Forest Service climbing rangers reached him Monday morning, bringing warmer clothes and medical supplies. They moved him away from falling rocks and stayed with him through a second night as dangerous weather prevented an evacuation. SFGate reports that by Tuesday, the hiker was suffering from advanced hypothermia, and rescuers from Siskiyou, Marin, San Mateo, and Trinity counties, along with Jackson County in Oregon, organized a ground evacuation. The crew began hiking around 5:45 am, carrying a rescue litter, ropes, carabiners, and warming equipment.The five Marin teens reportedly had two to three years of search and rescue experience, all trained to work with ropes in high-altitude snow and ice conditions. Among them was Cody Davis, a 17-year-old senior at San Marin High School in Novato.“The higher up on the mountain we got, the windier and the worse the conditions got,” Davis told SFGate, describing winds reaching 60 to 70 mph near the climber, with stronger gusts knocking rescuers off their feet.Falling rocks added another hazard, with some rescuers reportedly struck by rocks roughly the size of soccer balls. The crews reached the injured man around 1 pm and began carrying him over steep gravel, boulders, snow, and ice toward a landing zone between Mount Shasta and Shastina, at an elevation of about 11,890 feet. Between eight and 12 rescuers helped carry him at a time as California Highway Patrol helicopters made repeated attempts to reach them, as SFGate reports.The crews were exhausted, and some rescuers were reportedly showing signs of mild hypothermia when a brief break in the weather finally allowed a CHP helicopter to land around 5:30 pm. Getting the man into the aircraft on the steep mountain terrain required a coordinated effort.“That moment, when we all got him on the helicopter and we knew the mission was accomplished, at least on our end, there was a huge verbal sigh of relief and everybody was hugging each other and everybody took a knee and got really centered in that moment,” said Marin County rescuer Nick Slaneck, speaking to NBC Bay Area.After the climber was flown to a hospital, rescuers learned that his injuries included a severe leg laceration and frostbite to one foot. Details about his current condition have not been released."This incredible mission highlights not only the courage and skill of our volunteers but also the power of interagency teamwork," said the Marin County Sheriff's Office. "When agencies work together, even the most daunting challenges can lead to extraordinary rescues."Related: Rangers Warn Hikers to Stop Using AI to Plan Wilderness Trips ...read more read less