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Climbers rescued after relying on Google Gemini for Mount Shasta trek

Climbers on Mount Shasta had to be rescued after Google Gemini said the hike would take eight hours; it took 16, leaving them without supplies in the dark.

AI News Feed · 2026-09-04 01:45

The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said the climbers set up a base camp on Aug. 29 and set out at 3 a.m. the next day. They asked Gemini for route research and advice on food and water. It reportedly told them to prepare for an eight-hour trek and to pack items with simple carbohydrates instead of fats, because fats "take too long to digest." They carried daypacks with food and water for a short climb, with no shelter or warm clothing.

The climb took 16 hours. They reached the summit at 7 p.m. on Aug. 30, well past the recommended turnaround time of noon. As they descended in the dark, they wandered off-route. They were using AllTrails for navigation, but the phone with the app died before they could get down.

The group called 911 for directions. The US Forest Service Climbing Rangers and the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team reached them around 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 31. Weather conditions did not allow a helicopter rescue, so the climbers walked down with the rangers for about nine hours.

The climbers told SFGate: "We relied too much on AI rather than our own critical thinking." In response, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office is advising climbers to call the Mount Shasta Ranger Station for the most accurate information and to "never rely solely on AI" for planning.