(BCN) -- A hiker was rescued during a grueling operation hampered by weather this weekend in Monterey County after he fell in the Ventana Wilderness, according to the sheriff's office.The rescue was taxing to both the patient and rescue crews due to weather and terrain. Search and rescue teams were notified at about 8 p.m. Saturday that a 20-year-old hiker had fallen and needed assistance. Other hikers in the area sent out an SOS rescue signal and called 911 to get him help, the sheriff's office said. Missing paddle boarder safe after nighttime search off Half Moon Bay The man was located near Sykes Hot Springs in the Ventana Wilderness southeast of Big Sur and it took crews 16 hours to get him back to safety. Rescue crews reached the man and he was given first aid, but due to weather conditions, helicopters were unable to assist in the mission, requiring a rescue by foot. While returning, rescue teams became stranded and unable to cross a river where water levels had risen, the sheriff's office said. Crews and the hiker had to remain at that location until daylight. Once the sun rose, the U.S. Coast Guard and a helicopter were deployed to the area, but weather conditions still prevented the Coast Guard helicopter from safely hoisting the patient to safety.Search and rescue teams were able to get the patient across the river and continued to carry him out to a waiting ambulance on Sunday, hours after the rescue operation began. "The rescue covered 16 miles of steep and rugged trails," said the sheriff's office on social media on Tuesday. "Search and Rescue team members described this operation as 'physically exhausting' as rain began to fall early in the morning, worsening the already difficult rescue conditions." The man was eventually transported to a local hospital. The rescue was carried out by the sheriff's office, Cal Fire, the U.S. Coast Guard and urban search and rescue crews. Copyright © 2024 Bay City News, Inc.