Volunteers rescue climber Rob Martin after he spent 15 hours on a six-inch ledge with fatal drop below

At over 10,000 feet on California's Laurel Mountain, Rob Martin clung to a six-inch ledge with only one foot properly planted, periodically shaking out his legs to ward off cramps, knowing a single misstep would be fatal. A four-person volunteer team from Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue took more than 15 hours to reach him after he went off-route on the Mendenhall Couloir last Saturday. Before locating him, rescuers spent two hours searching the gully until they finally heard him calling out.

Martin said: 'A lot of scary thoughts. My hands were cramping. The feet were the hardest part.'

Rescuers say going off-route on the steep, loose-rock gully leads instantly to terrain with 'no viable means of continuing either up or down.'

Team spokesperson Mitchell Quiring, who took part in the rescue, credited Martin's will: 'He was not going to give up.'