Stranded teens rescued by helicopter from atop cliff

Stranded teens rescued by helicopter from atop cliff

A pair of California teens were rescued by helicopter from atop an 8,600-foot cliff after they became stranded and were unable to climb down, CNN reports.

The California Highway Patrol dispatched a helicopter and a small plane to retrieve them. With winds gusting up to 30 mph and the teenage boys, 16 and 17, perched on a narrow edge of the cliff, the rescue wasn't simple.

The rescuers lowered harnesses and barked instructions through a loudspeaker. One at a time, the two teens were brought to safety in a scene that resembled a Hollywood blockbuster.

The pilot told CNN that it took four passes.

The teens had been hiking on a family vacation in the Sierra Buttes in Northern California. After the rescue, the teens told reporters they thought they'd be able to walk across the ridge once they reached the top.

"When we got up there and saw the other side, it was heartbreaking," said Austin Deschler, one of the rescued teens.

Earlier this year, authorities rescued another pair of teens from the Cleveland National Forest in Southern California after they became lost and disoriented.