PROVO — Three hikers who spent Thanksgiving night stuck on a cliff in Provo Canyon were airlifted to safety Friday morning.

"It's a miracle we are alive," rescued hiker Caleb Barnes told KSL-TV. "(We had) a lot of close calls of rock slides. My buddy smashed his finger. I caught a few rocks on the head. We're lucky, very lucky."

One by one, a Life Flight helicopter hoisted a 17 year-old-boy and two 19-year-old men from Cascade Mountain Friday morning at about 10 a.m. The men were in good condition and were released after being rescued from the mountain, a Utah County sheriff's dispatcher said.

After spending 5 1/2 hours free-climbing in the area about a half-mile west of Bridal Veil Falls, the men reached a spot where they could neither climb down nor retrace their path back up the mountain. They called for help on a cell phone just before dark.

The area where the hikers were located was too dangerous in the dark for searchers to reach on foot or a helicopter to land because of its steep terrain.

The hikers spent Thursday night crowded around a fire in a small cave.

Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Tom Hodgson said Thursday the group had some food and equipment and enough clothing to survive the cold.

He said hikers often get stranded, taking a wrong turn or getting themselves stuck. He advised hikers to know their route before setting out on a trail.

On Friday, Hodgson said that the men did make some good decisions by staying put and calling for help on the phone.

"But they made a bad choice in trying to go up a route they were unfamiliar with," he said.

The hikers are from California and said they were drawn to Provo Canyon because of its beauty.

But after a long night, they said that their next stop on their way home to California is the Grand Canyon but they wouldn't be doing any hiking — just sightseeing.

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Contributing: Rosalie Westenskow, Sam Penrod, KSL-TV

E-mail: asnyder@desnews.com