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Gemini guides, hikers stranded
Three hikers from Roseville, California were rescued after relying on Google’s Gemini AI to plan a Mount Shasta summit attempt on the Clear Creek Route, leaving them stranded in Mud Creek Canyon.
“The men summited at 7:00 pm that evening, well after the recommended turnaround time of 12:00 pm”
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said the men made camp at around 8,400 feet and departed at 3 a.m., then summited at 7:00 pm and descended in the dark after missing the recommended turnaround time of 12:00 pm.
Officials said that an hour into their descent the group called the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch to ask for directions but eventually wandered off route into Mud Creek Canyon.
The sheriff’s office said one of the hikers fell and suffered a knee injury, and the group remained in a small encampment in the steep drainage until U.S. Forest Service climbing rangers met them the following morning.
The rescue ended with all three hikers and rescue teams returning to the trailhead without incident, according to sheriff’s officials.
Sheriff calls it a misstep
At the scene, the hikers told a sheriff’s deputy that they had relied heavily on Google’s Gemini AI for information about the route and what to pack, and the sheriff’s office described that reliance as a “critical misstep.”
The sheriff’s office said, "This was a critical misstep, as they were advised by Gemini to bring far less food and water than their group required," especially when their planned 8 hour ascent became a multi-day ordeal.
The Independent reported the sheriff’s office statement that the group reached the summit at about 3 am on Sunday and “reached the summit at 7 p.m. that evening,” before descending and veering into Mud Creek Canyon.
The Independent also quoted the sheriff’s office warning that it is always advisable to call the local USFS Mount Shasta Ranger station ahead of a trip and to never rely solely on AI for trip planning.
In a separate account, KRCR said Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue warned that “I think that AI can be used as a research tool,” but hikers should get information from experts when facing a potentially life or death scenario.
What authorities say to do next
After the rescue, authorities emphasized that hikers should adhere to the noon turnaround rule and use multiple methods of wayfinding rather than relying only on a cellphone or Garmin.
“"It is always advisable to call the local USFS Mount Shasta Ranger station ahead of your trip"”
The Seattle Times reported the sheriff’s office said, "It is always advisable to call the local USFS Mount Shasta Ranger station ahead of your trip," and it also advised hikers to "never rely solely on AI for your trip planning."
The Independent similarly quoted the sheriff’s office saying the Clear Creek Route is not a technical mountaineering route, but it still requires climbers to be “physically fit” and prepared for unforeseen circumstances like an injury, inclement weather, or an unplanned overnight stay.
The Independent also warned that “Serious accidents and fatalities occur on the Clear Creek route when individuals become lost and wander into more dangerous terrain, such as the Mud Creek drainage,” tying the danger directly to the off-route drift that left the trio stranded.
The Independent noted that the rescue came days before Google announced its multiyear partnership with YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, known professionally as MrBeast, with a September 5 video planned to show teams using Gemini to identify dangers and survive “brutal weather.”