According to officials, a 50-year-old lady who went lost for two days while on a trek was rescued. Authorities in California say they successfully found and retrieved a 50-year-old hiker who had been missing for over two days.
According to a news release from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, volunteers with the Search and Rescue team discovered the woman in San Diego County’s backcountry early Sunday morning after hours of searching. Deputies from the Sheriff’s Rural Enforcement Division said they received a call from the woman’s family on Saturday afternoon. The family stated they had not heard from the woman since she texted them at about 8:30 a.m. Friday.
The woman told them she was preparing to begin a hike at the Lake Morena campground in Campo. During their inquiry, deputies claimed they were alerted by San Diego County Parks and Recreation that the woman had missed her checkout time at her lakeside cabin. Park officials also stated that her items remained in the cabin. Her vehicle was discovered near a trailhead a short minutes later. Hunt and Rescue volunteers were dispatched to the area to assist in the hunt for the woman while a helicopter searched from above.
Park officials used an off-road vehicle to search the trails, and a two-person team with a search and rescue dog was also sent out just before 10 p.m. Saturday, Search and Rescue personnel discovered what they thought was the woman’s shoe prints on a trail and began to follow them. As they searched, volunteers yelled the woman’s name, hoping to receive a response.
The response arrived just after 4 a.m. on Sunday. Just before 5 a.m., the volunteers heard a woman call back and found her in a hilly and rocky region nearly 10 miles away from her vehicle.
Officials said the woman was exhausted but otherwise in good health. Due to the rough terrain, volunteers stayed with the woman until a helicopter could lift her to safety at 8 a.m. She was subsequently taken to the Lake Morena campground, where she got medical care and was later reunited with her family. The sheriff’s office expressed gratitude to all the volunteers and agencies who assisted in transporting the woman to safety.
