FRAZIER PARK, Calif. -- The Kern County Sheriff's Department helicopter was able to successfully pull a sick hiker to safety over the weekend.

Around 10:15 p.m. on Sunday, the KCSD's Communication Center said it received a report of a hiker that had become dehydrated, vomiting and unable to walk any farther near the Pleito Campground West of Frazier Park.

The sick hiker was later identified as Fernando Duran, 28, a Santa Paula resident visiting the Frazier Park area with friends.

Deputies from the Frazier Park Substation said they responded and located one of Duran’s friends, 22-year-old Omar Arista, who had hiked out to call for help.

Arista told deputies that he had left Duran with another friend, 24-year-old Jose Luna, and said it had taken him about one and a half hours to hike out.

Arista told deputies that they had traveled to the area in an attempt to locate old rock paintings and pictographs in the mountains. He told deputies that Duran had become sick after they had run out of water.

Around 11:40 p.m., the sheriff's helicopter, Air One, located Duran and Luna under a deep canopy of trees and in rugged terrain approximately 5 miles north of the Pleito campground, according to the KCSD.

Due to the rugged terrain and Duran’s reported medical condition, the sheriff's department said that it needed its hoist helicopter to pull Duran and Luna to safety.

Both Duran and Luna were safely hoisted and transported off the mountain by the helicopter.

Duran was found not to have any life-threatening injuries but did tell deputies he was tired and not prepared for a hike like this.

He was given fluids but declined any further medical attention. Deputies assisted in retrieving their vehicle and all three returned to the Santa Paula area.