Rafters stranded overnight along Eel River

Three rafters on the Eel River were forced to spend Sunday along on the river northwest of Laytonville after their raft became lodged on a boulder, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The three were among a group of 15 rafters from Humboldt County who had launched into the headwaters of the South Fork of the Eel River on Wilderness Lodge Road west of Branscomb Sunday morning, sheriff’s officials said.

About 2 p.m., one of the 15-foot rafts became lodged on a river boulder. The force of the water kept the raft pinned and the rafters were unable to free it, officials said, but they did climb to shore.

After some two hours of unsuccessful attempts free the raft, the group decided three rafters would stay at the location and the rest would continue on, officials said. The larger group rafted to the exit point, a lodge south of Leggett, and phoned for help just after 11 p.m., officials said.

Because of the late hour, the hazards of making a night rescue and assurances the stranded rafters had sufficient clothing and supplies for the night, officials decided to launch a rescue Monday morning. But by morning the rafters were able to free the raft and make it downriver to the exit point on their own.

The three men reportedly were in good health.