Hiker saved after losing leg sensation in Sierra Nevada Mountains

A hiker paralyzed after a bite in California's Sierra Nevada mountains was safely rescued officials said. The woman encountered a terrifying ordeal when she lost feeling in her legs following the bite while fetching water from a creek.

The woman, who remains unidentified, had chosen to exit the famous John Muir Trail via Taboose Pass due to excessive snow accumulation. Tragedy struck when she stopped to collect water from a creek and suffered a bite, believed to be from a spider, according to officials from the Inyo County Search & Rescue team.

In the aftermath, the hiker lost all feeling in her legs, making it impossible for her to continue the descent, as detailed in a social media post by rescue personnel.

The paralyzed hiker managed to call and relay her coordinates to rescue officials around 6:30 p.m. before her phone battery died. Just before midnight, the Inyo County Search and Rescue crew reached the trailhead where the stricken hiker awaited assistance.

"They slowly walked her down the tricky section of the trail while ensuring her safety with ropes," officials said according to CBS News. The team then transferred her into a wheeled litter they had stashed about a quarter mile from her location in a more stable area of the trail.

Officials did not provide any details about the woman's current condition after the rescue.

The department urged hikers to carry power banks for phones or satellite messaging devices in their post. "About half of the emergency calls that SAR receives come from a person with a dying phone battery," they said.

They also warned that the Taboose, Sawmill, Baxter, and Shepherd Pass trails in the area "are a lot less maintained than the rest of the trails in the Sierra. You might encounter very tricky sections and route-finding issues – not to mention very steep grades."