TOAD LAKE, Calif. — A deputy with the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office accepted the equine aid of a helpful camper in order to rescue an injured hiker stuck in a remote area of the county on Sunday.

The Sheriff's Office received a call from the injured hiker just before 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. The hiker related that he had hurt his knee near Toad Lake in southern Siskiyou County and was unable to walk back to where his car was parked, about a half-mile away.

Deputy Scott Stock responded to the Toad Lake parking area, but couldn't get any closer in his vehicle. As luck would have it, a camper from Shasta Lake City, Mike Bingham, was just breaking camp nearby and offered to saddle up two of his horses for the rescue effort.

Deputy Stock and Bingham rode the horses in to Toad Lake, where they soon found the injured hiker. The two rescuers were able to get the man onto one of the horses, delivering him back to the parking area.

“The injured but grateful citizen was eventually able to leave the area when reunited with his vehicle and he chose to seek medical attention for his injured knee on his own," said Sheriff Jon Lopey. "This was a good case of ‘team work’ between an innovative deputy and a thoughtful citizen, whose ‘old fashion but effective’ solution to a challenging situation, with the help of two good horses, resulted in a happy ending to this important rescue mission.”