On March 25, 2018, around 10:00 a.m., Yavapai County Sheriff’s deputies received a report of a female hiker stranded on a cliff on Bell Rock in Sedona. A deputy was able to hike and get as close as possible to the stranded hiker.
The deputy indicated a rescue team would be necessary to safely remove her. The woman was positioned on the side of a rock face with a 20-foot drop and was unable to sit because the ledge was so small. She not wearing shoes and very cold due to lack of a jacket. Personnel from the Sedona Fire Department arrived along with teams from the Yavapai
Deputies interviewed the 34-year-old hiker from Canada who explained she started at the Bell Rock Trailhead wearing only sweatpants, a long sleeve shirt, flip flop shoes and carrying a purse. At one point, she decided to take off the flip flops and hide them in some bushes with her purse so she could climb the rock face ‘more effectively.” After getting stuck, it took about 30 minutes before someone noticed her and called for help.
A deputy and 2 Verde Search and Rescue volunteers consented to assist her in recovering her purse.