FD: Woman rescued on Camelback Mountain; sustained minor injuries

PHOENIX (FOX 10) - Thanks to first responders, a woman was rescued from Camelback Mountain on Saturday after sustaining an injury. The rescue happened as temperatures reached 95 today. According to the Weather Center, that's four degrees higher than normal around this time of year.

The rescue today was the second rescue for firefighters - the one earlier happening on the other side of the mountain.

We spoke with the injured hiker once she was cleared to leave. She says she was on her way down from the stop when her back gave out.

"I think I slipped and then [I felt] excruciating pain," said hiker Megan Mickenberg. "And then I was throwing up because of the pain."

It was an intense rescue for 27-year-old Mickenberg after she says back pain led her to be rescued by Phoenix and Tempe's finest.

"We went all the way up and then almost finished," Mickenberg said. "But then I couldn't finish. I think I slipped again and I literally couldn't move."

Mickenberg was rescued about a quarter of the way up the mountain while temperatures in Phoenix were increasing. Unable to fly a helicopter to rescue her because she was too close to the cliffs and there wasn't a landing zone, firefighters hiked up the mountain.

"We do it because we're going to risk a lot to save a life," one rescuer said. "[We] put our folks in danger to get them off the mountain."

"[They were] overly accommodating. funny, and took my mind off the pain," Mickenberg said. "I could not be more grateful for them."

Mickenberg was able to go home without being transported to the hospital. Phoenix Fire is warning people to make sure they're prepared for a hike like this. Echo Canyon is a lot more intense than Cholla Trail and with a back injury, you never know what can happen.

Also, make sure you have enough water. A bottle of water isn't going to kick it with this heat.