Hiker falls dozens of feet while on Lookout Mountain in Phoenix, FD says
PHOENIX - Crews from Phoenix and Scottsdale fire departments rescued a hiker who is believed to have fallen 50-70 feet while on Lookout Mountain Monday afternoon.
The hiker, an unidentified man, is in extremely critical condition after falling around 3:30 p.m., Phoenix Fire said on Nov. 18.
He was rescued off the mountain after being found "unconscious and not breathing," the fire department said, and was taken to the hospital.
Lookout Mountain is near Greenway Parkway and 7th Street.
‘This one is just too dangerous to me’
The news scares the hikers who frequent this trail because they know this was no freak accident, but something that could happen to anyone.
Those with experience on Lookout Mountain are warning others to not be lulled into a false sense of safety.
While the hot weather is no longer a hazard, the ground always is.
"I've done it couple of times, and I’ll never do it again because I almost fell off it myself," said experienced hiker Ryan Cass.
He says the last time he went to the top of Lookout Mountain was nearly nine years ago. He suspects that's where the victim was when he fell.
"I love hiking. I got to the tops of lots of mountains and everything, but this one is just too dangerous to me," Cass said.
Loose rocks and gravel greet you at the base of the mountain and stay with you for the entirety of the trail system.
"Imagine the rocks being very thorny, and you basically have to use your hands and climb up there. And when you come back down, all the rocks are just really loose," Al Hussein, a hiker, said.
Another hiker said of the mountain, "It’s super, super rocky. I will come down that way, but I will not go up."
There is no signage at the foot of the trail to warn hikers of what they’re about to walk into. It’s something many have had to learn the hard way.
Hussein had heard first-hand what the mountain can do to hikers.
"We were at the top and someone was coming back down, and we heard someone just slip and fall right away," Hussein said.
"It’s just not worth it," a hiker said.