Volunteers carried out a more than 15-hour operation to rescue a climber who got off route near Mammoth Lakes and was stranded on a small ledge. Volunteers carried out a more than 15-hour operation to rescue a climber who got off route near Mammoth Lakes and was stranded on a small ledge. MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. -- Volunteers carried out a more than 15-hour operation to rescue a man who got off route in the Sierra Nevada and was stranded on a small ledge, the Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team said.