Man Airlifted From Cedar Creek Falls on Thursday

A man suffering from shortness of breath and chest pains while hunting in the forest near Ramona Thursday was airlifted out by the Sheriff's ASTREA helicopter.

He was in stable condition when transported out of Ramona by Mercy Air, said a Ramona Fire Department medic.

Ramona Fire Captain David Hypes said the 57-year-old man was hunting pigs near Cedar Creek Falls in Cleveland National Forest when his symptoms began. He was with his two sons and a friend. They could not get cell phone reception at the bottom of the falls, so his friend hiked out to the trailhead on Thornbush Road in San Diego Country Estates, Hypes said.

A team from Ramona Fire station 81 responded and transported the man to a Mercy Air helicopter, which landed at San Vicente Golf Course. The man was flown out for medical treatment at approximately 3:30 p.m.

Cedar Creek Falls has been the scene of many accidents each year. One man died over the summer of 2011, causing . The Forest Service last reported to Patch that Cedar Creek Falls was closed until April 2012. In addition to the death and accidents, agencies decided to close the popular hiking area after about the multitude of visitors to the trail each weekend.