Brendan Danicourt was celebrating turning 23-years-old in a way many would recognize, having likely spent their own birthday's at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
His birthday was on Thursday, Feb. 11, and on Monday, Feb. 15, he was sitting down to a special meal with family when suddenly the party was interrupted by something unexpected. Danicourt is a reserve firefighter and a member of Search and Rescue for the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Department. That night, he was called out to help rescue two stranded back country hikers at Pinecrest Lake.
He answered the call without hesitation.
"We were just having a birthday dinner kind of deal, and then got the call out, and it was just like, well, might as well go," Danicourt said. The couple Danicourt helped rescue was stranded at Pinecrest Lake, having hiked for over four hours in nearly four inches of snow. One person even fell into the water at one point.