A hiker who suffered paralysis in her leg and just about managed to call for help has finally found out what caused her pain.
A woman who had been hiking in California's Sierra Nevada mountains was saved by local authorities just in the nick of time as her phone switched off right after she gave her location coordinates.
According to a social media post published on Facebook by the Inyo County Search & Rescue team, the unnamed woman had taken the Taboose Pass out of the Sierra Nevada's John Muir Trail after encountering horrific weather conditions that halted her hike.
"At around 6:30PM on Wednesday, June 12, Inyo SAR received a call-out for a hiker on Taboose Pass Trail who was unable to continue her descent from the pass," the post on Facebook read.
"The hiker had been section hiking northbound on the John Muir Trail, when she encountered too much snow for her comfort level on Mather Pass. Taboose Pass was the nearest exit out of the Sierra Nevada, so she took it."
However, things took a turn for the worse as she was collecting water to drink.
The woman believed she had been bitten by a spider and afterward, she was "unable to feel the skin on her legs and could not continue her hike down."
She still managed to call for a rescue and relay her coordinates, then her phone battery died," the statement added.
In an update, it has finally been confirmed what caused her paralysis and it wasn't actually a spider bite like it was initially believed.
A representative from the sheriff’s office told the New York Post that, according to rescuers, the hiker was accidentally stung by stinging nettles on a part of the trail that is only meant for vehicles.
"Rescuers believe that the individual who needed rescuing was stung by stinging nettles located on the overgrown trail," Lindsey Stine of the county sheriff’s office told the outlet.
According to the University of California’s Integrated Pest Management website, the tingling sensation inflicted by stinging nettles can actually persist for up to 12 hours after first contact.
“When human skin comes into contact with a leaf or stem, it often rapidly develops reddish patches accompanied by itching and burning,” the website read. “Frequently, a prolonged tingling sensation may persist on the affected skin for more than 12 hours, even after visible symptoms have faded.”
An update on the woman's condition was not provided, though it is believed the rescue team reached her promptly and she has received medical treatment for her injuries.
