69-year-old hiker was missing for over 16 hours in CA. Then came a ‘faint voice’
An overdue 69-year-old hiker was found more than 16 hours after she was reported missing, California rescuers say.
Monterey County deputies and California State Parks officials got a report of an overdue hiker in Garrapata State Park about 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
The woman’s family said that she left her home at about 2 p.m. to hike Soberanes Trail, an area she frequents, deputies said.
By 6 p.m., the hiker still hadn’t returned home, deputies said.
Her family began to look for her and found her car parked near Soberanes Trail, according to deputies.
After learning of the missing woman, deputies said their search and rescue team and California State Park officials started searching for the missing hiker.
Rescuers scoured the area for hours until suspending the search at about 2 a.m., deputies said.
The search efforts resumed the following day at 7 a.m. with help from additional agencies and resources, including CalFire drones, a California Highway Patrol helicopter and a California Rescue Dog Association K9 team, deputies said.
As rescuers called out, they “heard the woman’s faint voice” at about 12:30 p.m., over 16 hours after she was reported missing, deputies said.
“One of our team members heard her faint call for help off the Soberanes Trail,” Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue said in a Facebook post.
Three volunteers made their way to the woman and “confirmed she was alive but injured,” rescuers said
The hiker had fallen off the main trial, leaving her with minor injuries, deputies said.
A helicopter crew hoisted her from the area, then she was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, deputies said. Her injuries were not specified.
Garrapata State Park is about an 80-mile drive south from San Jose.
This story was originally published May 30, 2025 at 3:00 PM with the headline "69-year-old hiker was missing for over 16 hours in CA. Then came a ‘faint voice’."
