A deaf man and a woman clinging to a rock above the eastbound lane of Highway 50 Cave Rock were pulled to safety Monday by rescuers from Tahoe-Douglas Fire Protection District.
"The top slope was too slippery and too steep," Tahoe-Douglas Fire Chief Tim Smith said. "They panicked and couldn't come down."
It was a simple rescue except when the woman tried to communicate with the man. She had to use sign language while maintaining a grip on the rock, Smith said.
Rescuers arrived on the scene at 6:30 p.m. and the climbers were safe on a road above the cliff by 7 p.m.
"We tied a rope to a tree directly above the two individuals," Smith said. "They we're harnessed. We used HAUL, a mechanical pulley system, that locks and won't go back down."
Law enforcement closed the eastbound lane for about 30 minutes so rocks kicked loose by the climbers didn't hit any vehicles.
