Four hikers were rescued on Monday from the rough terrain of the Organ Mountains. The Las Cruces Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team and three other rescue teams helped extract the hikers who became stranded on the west face of the Organ Mountains.
At about 11:30 a.m. on June 12, LCFD’s Technical Rescue Team assisted Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue, Organ Mountain Search and Rescue, and New Mexico State Police after the four hikers became stranded on a rocky ledge leading to The Needle in the Organ Mountains.
Rescue teams learned the hikers, three men, and one woman, went off-trail and reached a point where they could neither ascend nor descend. Rescue teams utilized a drone to locate the hikers. The drone operator then used imagery and data to guide the three rescue teams to the hikers’ location, they reached the hikers about seven hours after leaving the base camp.
The rescue teams guided the hikers on the descent and reached the base camp at about 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. There were no injuries reported.
The trail to The Needle is one of the most difficult hikes in New Mexico with a peak elevation of close to 9,000 feet and a relatively steep gain of roughly 4,100 feet from the trailhead. The hike to the Organ Needle is classified as very difficult.
The Las Cruces Fire Department has a post on its Facebook page, “Tips for Safe Outdoor Adventures,” with useful information and guidelines for those hiking, biking, or camping in southern New Mexico.