Three hikers who extensively used Google’s Gemini to plan their trip to the summit of Mount Shasta in California’s Cascade Range had to be rescued by Forest Service rangers when the chatbot’s advice went horribly awry.
As the Chicago Tribune reports, the three young men from outside of Sacramento attempted to reach the potentially active stratovolcano’s 14,179-foot peak earlier this week late into the night, despite hikers being advised not to attempt the trek past noon before turning right back.
The three “novice hikers” ended up having to descend the steep slopes well into the dark. They called the Siskiyou County sheriff’s office for directions, but opted to veer off course, ending up in an adjacent canyon. That’s where they decided to sleep overnight, with one of them having suffered an injured knee.
According to the Tribune, volunteers from the local search-and-rescue service and the US Forest Service rangers had to escort them back to safety the next morning.
