85-Year-Old Hiker Survives 50-Foot Fall Down Palo Alto Trail Embankment

PALO ALTO (CBS SF) -- An 85-year-old hiker was rescued after she slipped off a trail and went about 50 feet down to an embankment at Foothills Park in Palo Alto Thursday morning, a fire official said.

Around 11 a.m., crews responded to a report of a person who fell at Foothills Park, located off of Page Mill Road in the city's hills, deputy fire Chief Catherine Capriles said.

Emergency responders learned an 85-year-old woman was with her husband hiking at Los Trancos Trail and slid down an embankment, Capriles said.

It took crews longer than usual to set up a rope rescue system due to the narrow trail and 40-degree slope in the area filled with poison oak and trees, Capriles said.

Rescuers went down 45 to 50 feet below to the woman, who had a broken right leg, according to Capriles.

The hiker was placed in a Stokes basket, brought back up to the trail and taken to a hospital by an ambulance shortly before 1 p.m., Capriles said.

The woman may have lost her footing and went off the trail, but it's not clear what led the woman to slip, according to Capriles.

The windy trail is filled with vegetation and runs about seven-and-a-half miles long, Capriles said.

The public is advised to always have a companion and watch their footing while hiking, Carpiles said.

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