Local
Man rescued from Morro Rock after proposing to girlfriend
UPDATE: Man who climbed Morro Rock to propose to girlfriend arrested on drug charges »
Sometimes, romance can be rocky.
A man had to be rescued from Morro Rock on Thursday after climbing it to propose to his girlfriend.
Morro Bay State Park ranger Dale Kinney said the man — identified as Michael John Paul Banks, 27, of Fresno — climbed the southern side of the Rock after sunrise to propose to his girlfriend over the video-messaging app Facetime.
Banks attempted to climb down the precarious eastern side of the Rock and became stuck, Kinney said.
A CHP helicopter was dispatched to the Rock shortly after 8:30 a.m. The Morro Bay fire and police departments, as well as State Parks and Harbor Patrol, were on scene.
Illegal climber rescued off Morro Bay by CHP helicopter & MBFD personnel. Assisted by SLO County Fire, Harbor, USCG pic.twitter.com/8nJ4nB9FhE
— Morro Bay Fire (@MorroBayFire) April 7, 2016
“It was a pretty amazing rescue on the part of the Fire Department,” Kinney said, because the helicopter had to fly close to the Rock to get a harness on the man. The man was safely returned to land after 9:30 a.m., with only a few scrapes and a misdemeanor citation for trespassing.
But the story does have a happy ending: Banks’ girlfriend said “yes.”
Staff writers Lindsey Holden and Kaytlyn Leslie contributed to this story.
Comments