PACIFIC CITY – Two young Tillamook boys and their dog named “Oly” were rescued from a 300-foot ravine at Cape Kiwanda Tuesday by the U.S. Coast Guard.

A MH-60 rescue helicopter from Group/Air Station Astoria was sent to the scene near Pacific City at around 12:45 p.m., after the mother of the six- and seven-year-olds called 9-1-1, reporting that her sons had slid down the steep sandy slope and couldn’t get back up.

Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Kelly Parker said the boys started playing on what looked like a gentle slope, but became stranded as they slipped further down.

The helicopter lowered Aviation Survival Chief Jason Schelin into the ravine on a cable while the helicopter hovered above.

“Initially they were just playing and it looked like an area that would be fun to slide down. The sand was soft and loose enough that when they tried to come back up, they just kept sliding down,” Schelin said.

When the mother of the boys realized they were stuck at the bottom, she circled to a vantage point where she could see her sons, but couldn’t get to them, Schelin said.

When Schelin reached the boys, he said they were scared and a little nervous that they might be in trouble.

“But mostly they were happy to see someone down there to help them,” he said.

Neither were injured.

Schelin said his initial plan was to hoist the boys and the dog up with the helicopter’s rescue basket, but instead found two teenagers at the bottom of the ravine who knew a safe route to walk out. Because the positioning for the helicopter would have been risky within the ravine, Schelin decided to lead the boys out by foot.

“It’s not safe for the helicopter to be down in that kind of hole hovering like that,” he said.

It took about 15 to 20 minutes for Schelin to guide the group out safely, said Parker.

When they reached the top, Schelin said the boy’s mother was happy to see that they were safe.

“She gave me a big hug,” Schelin said.

Schelin stressed that the boys were fortunate that the tide wasn’t in and the weather wasn’t worse. The outcome might not have been a happy one, he added.

“It could have been a different situation entirely. We could have been dealing with water too,” he said.

The bottom of the ravine is at water level, and nearby cliffs plunge down straight into the surf, he said.

He said he’s been called to the area numerous times in recent months and hopes people will use extra caution when having fun near the ocean this summer.

“They were really lucky. That area has been really dangerous,” Schelin said.