Overview
- A 55-year-old man fell from a ledge near Bumble Bee Road just before 6 p.m. on Jan. 1, suffering a serious leg injury.
- Search teams remained with the hiker overnight and kept a fire going as cold rain raised hypothermia risks.
- Flooding cut off ground routes and repeated weather setbacks aborted earlier air rescue attempts.
- An Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs Blackhawk evacuated the hiker around 7:45–8:00 a.m. on Jan. 2 and delivered him to medical personnel.
- Yavapai County crews also located two lost hikers that evening in Wickenburg and Sedona, guiding both safely out.