Oregonian, The: Web Edition Articles (Portland, OR)

Author/Byline: Jayati Ramakrishnan

Crews on Friday rescued four people who became stuck on the side of a cliff while canyoneering in the Columbia River Gorge, authorities say.

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office got a report about 12:30 a.m. that the group had been stranded for about 10 hours and needed to be rescued.

The sheriff's office said the canyoneers, who had proper safety equipment and were dressed appropriately, started at the Wahclella Falls Trailhead about 10 miles east of Multnomah Falls.

The group had taken the Gorge 400 Trail and reached a steep canyon that features several cascading waterfalls.

One canyoneer became separated from the rest of the group when a rope became stuck during a descent, the sheriff's office said. The canyoneer was stranded between two waterfalls, and their companions were not able to get them out of the area safely.

The canyoneers called for help after several hours. They stayed in the area, and crews from the sheriff's office's search and rescue team and Portland Mountain Rescue responded.

Four Portland Mountain Rescue crew members reached the stranded canyoneers, lowered three of them down the side of a 50-foot waterfall and aided the person stuck between two waterfalls.

The rescuers then helped the canyoneers cross a stream and a rocky slope. The group then hiked back to the trailhead.

The sheriff's office said canyoneering is becoming more popular. The agency asked canyoneers to research and scout their objectives, take more gear than necessary and come up with an emergency plan before leaving the trailhead.

—Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR