The Firefighter Sent to Rescue Them Also Got Stuck

When two teenagers climbed the volcanic bluff known as God's Thumb on July 5, 2025, they did not plan on needing a rescue. The trail at Roads End Point near Lincoln City, Oregon ends at a sheer cliff above the Pacific. The boys - both 14, from Southern Oregon - made it almost all the way to the top, then stopped. They had reached the point where the rock goes nearly vertical, loose and crumbling, and coming back down was no longer an option.

The Firefighter Who Got Trapped Too

A 911 call came in around 5:15 p.m. North Lincoln Fire and Rescue dispatched a firefighter to climb up and guide the boys to safety. The firefighter reached them - and then could not get back down either. The same loose rock that had trapped the teenagers had now trapped their would-be rescuer. There were now three people clinging to the face of God's Thumb with no ground route out.

The Helicopter Answer

Lincoln County Dispatch called Coast Guard Sector Columbia River. An MH-60 helicopter crew launched from Air Station Astoria and flew south along the coast to Roads End Point. The crew lowered a rescue swimmer directly onto the cliff face. One by one, the swimmer secured a harness on each person - the two teenagers first, then the firefighter - and the helicopter hoisted all three up off the rock. They were flown to Siletz Bay State Airfield and reunited with their families. Nobody was hurt.

A Recurring Problem at God's Thumb

Officials estimated the rescue cost taxpayers roughly $20,000. Deputy Chief Cody Heidt of North Lincoln Fire and Rescue described the hazard plainly: "It goes almost vertical there. So when they get to that point, they don't feel safe coming down because of the loose rocks." Commander Amanda Denning of Coast Guard Air Station Astoria said her crews train for exactly this terrain. It was at least the fifth rescue at God's Thumb in 2025 alone.