Man Rescued From Morro Rock After Proposing To Girlfriend

A man had to be rescued from Morro Rock on Thursday after climbing it to propose to his girlfriend.

Morro Bay State Park ranger Dale Kinney says the man — identified as Michael John Paul Banks, 27, of Fresno — climbed the southern side of the Rock after sunrise to propose to his girlfriend over the video-messaging app Facetime.

Banks attempted to climb down the precarious eastern side of the Rock and became stuck, Kinney said.

A CHP helicopter was dispatched to the Rock shortly after 8:30 a.m. The Morro Bay fire and police departments, as well as State Parks and Harbor Patrol, were on scene as well.

“It was a pretty amazing rescue on the part of the Fire Department,” Kinney said, because the helicopter had to fly close to the Rock to get a harness on the man. The man was safely returned to land after 9:30 a.m., with only a few scrapes and a misdemeanor citation for trespassing.

But the story does have a happy ending: Banks’ girlfriend said “yes.”