Missing hiker from L.A. County found in ‘good condition’ in Ventura County
A 73-year-old hiker who was reported missing near Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest was found in “good condition†on Thursday, according to search and rescue crews who posted an update on Twitter.
Gab Song was found by a private citizen in the Lockwood Valley community in northeast Ventura County, officials said. Search crews from Ventura and Kern counties had been scouring the area since Tuesday, when Song went missing.
“He was located safe and in good condition,†Kern County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Danielle Kernkamp said. “He was smiling and in good spirits.â€
It’s unclear how Song survived his time in the wilderness, but emergency officials said Song was in good condition and did not need to be immediately rushed to a hospital for treatment.
On Thursday afternoon, a post on the Ventura County East Valley Search and Rescue Twitter account said: “MR. SONG HAS BEEN FOUND! He is [in] good condition.â€
Song, who is from Torrance, left home Tuesday for a solo hike at Mt. Pinos, authorities said.
Mike Song wrote on Instagram this week that his father had not returned home and that his car was still parked at the base of a trail, but that there were no signs of him.
“We’re trying to get any info, anyone who might have seen him hiking, any tips that can help search and rescue find him,†Mike Song wrote in the post. “My pops has high blood pressure and doesn’t have his meds with him.â€
Mike Song joined the search efforts in around Mt. Pinos and thanked rescue crews on Thursday morning, KGET-TV in Bakersfield reported.
Song was described as an experienced hiker, but his family says he left just before a winter storm swept through Southern California and was not prepared for the cold weather.
Last week saw unseasonably warm conditions throughout the area near Mt. Pinos, but temperatures plummeted on Tuesday.
Overnight on Tuesday, wind gusts reached 45 to 50 mph and temperatures dropped to 18 degrees on Wednesday morning, according to the weather service.
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