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A trio of novice hikers who turned to AI to help plan their climb up California’s Mount Shasta ended up stranded overnight in a steep canyon after their trek went dangerously off course, authorities said.
The three young men from Roseville told a Siskiyou County sheriff’s deputy after their rescue that they had relied heavily on Google Gemini for information about the route and what to pack for the trip.
That proved to be a “critical misstep,” the sheriff’s office said, because Gemini advised them to bring far less food and water than they needed when their planned eight-hour ascent stretched into a multi-day ordeal.
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The hikers made camp at about 8,400 feet on Saturday, Aug. 29, then set out with daypacks for the summit at 3 a.m. Sunday.
They did not reach the top until 7 p.m. — seven hours after the recommended noon turnaround time — leaving them to descend in the dark.
About an hour later, the hikers called the sheriff’s office for directions but eventually wandered off the Clear Creek Route and into Mud Creek Canyon.
One of the men later fell and injured his knee, stranding the group in the steep canyon overnight.
U.S. Forest Service climbing rangers reached the hikers the next morning and treated the injured man. Siskiyou County Search and Rescue volunteers also were sent to help, and everyone made it back to the trailhead safely.
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“It is always advisable to call the local USFS Mount Shasta Ranger Station ahead of your trip to ensure you have the most accurate information, and to never rely solely on AI for your trip planning,” the sheriff’s office said.
Climbers who have not reached the summit by noon should turn back, the sheriff’s office said, giving themselves — and rescuers, if needed — enough daylight to get off the mountain.
Hikers should also carry more than one way to navigate and regularly check that they are still on the correct route rather than depending on a cellphone or GPS device.
The Clear Creek Route does not require technical mountaineering, but hikers still need to be fit and prepared for injuries, bad weather or an unexpected night on the mountain, the sheriff’s office said.
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Serious accidents and deaths have occurred when people became lost and wandered into more dangerous areas such as the Mud Creek drainage.