Woman emerges alive after grueling 800-foot canyon climb

A missing hiker's 12-day ordeal in the California wilderness ended when rescuers found her near the Yuba River. The Nevada County Sheriff's Office announced they'd found her on Friday, Sept. 6.

Esmeralda Marie Pineda vanished on Aug. 26 while camping with friends near Yuba River and Sweetland Creek, roughly 60 miles from Sacramento. Pineda's friends raised the alarm almost two weeks ago when they found her missing. 

According to Sgt. Dustin Moe, the day before she went missing, Pineda mentioned to her friends that she wanted to head back to Sacramento. The next day, she was gone.

"Her friends went searching for her during that day, and couldn't find any signs of whether she had made it out," Moe said. They reported her missing that same day.

By Aug. 28, the sheriff's office had begun their search, plastering missing person posters all over social media and asking anyone with information about her whereabouts to contact them. Search teams rappelled into canyons to look for Pineda.

Moe and his colleague were zipping around the hills in their off-roader when they spotted Pineda on Sept. 6, just after lunch.

She was "severely dehydrated and emaciated," authorities said. The full "extent of her condition and injuries is unknown," they claimed.

California Highway Patrol and North San Juan Fire Department eventually arrived via helicopter, airlifting Pineda out of the canyon by 1:20 that afternoon.

Moe told local station KYMA-DT that the area where Pineda was found was extremely difficult to access, making most people reluctant to enter that area.

"She probably had to scale around an 800-foot vertical climb to get up out of the canyon." Moe described the trek as grueling: "And it's not just a gradual, nice walk up, it's on your hands and feet climbing up the canyon walls." Moe explained.

The sheriff's crew gave a shout-out to all the folks who lent a hand in the search.

"The Sheriff's Office and our search and rescue volunteers covered extensive ground throughout our search, and we are thankful today to find her alive," Moe said.

In their final news release, the authorities expressed their gratitude to all those who contributed to the positive outcome of the case.