21-year-old gets separated from hiking partner. Then CA rescuers spot ‘small light’
A 21-year-old was rescued after getting separated from his hiking partner in a California forest, rescuers say.
Someone called to report a missing hiker in the Angeles National Forest just before 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Montrose Search and Rescue Team said in a Facebook post.
The 21-year-old, who got separated from his hiking partner, was last seen on the Devil’s Canyon Trail and was not equipped with food, water or supplies to spend the night, rescuers said.
Given the situation’s urgency, rescuers said they requested help from the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team and a helicopter crew from the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
While the helicopter crew searched for the missing hiker by air, additional crews met at the trailhead and searched by foot, rescuers said.
With no signs of the missing hiker on the trail, rescuers said the helicopter crew began to search the surrounding area.
Then, “in the pitch-black darkness of the forest,” the helicopter crew spotted light coming from the missing hiker’s cellphone, rescuers said.
“That small light was enough for rescuers to locate him,” rescuers said.
A video shared by rescuers shows a helicopter slowly landing in the darkness.
After finding the missing hiker “on a ridgeline well off trail,” the helicopter crew hoisted the hiker from the area, rescuers said.
“This incident underscores the importance of carrying a light source,” rescuers said. “A flashlight, headlamp, or even a fully charged phone can aid navigation after dark and signal for help.”
Devil’s Canyon Trail, a nearly 6-mile out-and-back trail near Mount Wilson, is “considered a moderately challenging route,” taking a little more than three hours to finish, according to the hiking website AllTrails.
This story was originally published December 23, 2024 at 1:48 PM with the headline "21-year-old gets separated from hiking partner. Then CA rescuers spot ‘small light’."
