FISH SPRINGS, Calif. – A woman hiking in the high Sierra Nevada had to be rescued after a detour and water break led to a serious health emergency, authorities said.
Inyo County Search and Rescue says that on June 12, the woman was hiking the John Muir trail north of Kings Canyon National Park when she encountered deep snow on Mather Pass.
Feeling uncomfortable about attempting to cross the snow, the woman took the Taboose Pass trail, which was the next easiest way to leave the Sierra.
A little under two miles from reaching the trailhead, she went to get water from a creek when she was bitten by what she believed was a spider.
A short time later, the woman was “unable to feel the skin on her legs” and couldn’t continue her exit hike, the SAR team said. She was able to share her coordinates while calling for a rescue before her phone died.
Responding crews first used ropes and later a wheeled litter to carry the hiker down to a nearby trailhead
The woman’s condition, as well as the type of spider involved, were not released.
In California, black widow spiders—specifically females—are considered the most common spider capable of injuring people.
