They hopped a fence to get to the Stanislaus River. They had to be rescued.

Two young men who jumped a fence at an Oakdale park Thursday afternoon needed the fire department’s help to get back over after they tumbled down a bluff above the Stanislaus River.

The Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District responded to the bluff off a park on Irvin Drive in east Oakdale, said Battalion Chief Eric DeHart.

Three friends hopped the fence and began making their way down the bluff toward the river at about 4:30 p.m.. When the trek became particularly steep one friend turned around and went back up to the park but the other two continued on toward the River.

DeHart said they made it to the bottom but ran into trouble on their way back up. They both lost their footing and tumbled down the bluff. One man fell about 30 feet and the other went a little further, DeHart said.

Firefighters rescued the man who fell the furthest by boat since he was closest to the river. They used a rope system with the other man to hoist him 60 feet back up the cliff.

DeHart said the men initially reported they were injured but both refused treatment.

This story was originally published July 14, 2017 at 5:01 PM with the headline "They hopped a fence to get to the Stanislaus River. They had to be rescued.."