A 73-year-old hiker was rescued Saturday after spending seven days in the wilderness, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Edmo Luna said.
Eugene Jo went missing on June 22 after becoming separated from a hiking group near Mount Waterman in the San Gabriel Mountains of the Angeles National Forest, according to a Twitter post from the Montrose Search and Rescue Team.
Just spoke to the crew on Air Rescue 5….Mr Jo was walking and speaking to them, he had not eaten in at least 5 days. He was drinking the water out of the Devils Canyon creek. Temps were mild, and water levels are up with the heavier rainfall this year. pic.twitter.com/F6uFYNfL8u
— Montrose Search & Rescue Team (Ca.) (@MontroseSAR) June 29, 2019
Jo was found on Saturday morning around 11 a.m. Pacific time, according to the search and rescue team. Luna said the man was found “down a ravine in the Devil’s Canyon area, quite a few miles away from the trail of the original hike.”
He had not eaten in at least five days and was drinking water out of Devils Canyon Creek, the search team’s post said.
The hiker suffered no traumatic injuries and was airlifted to a local hospital for further evaluation, according to Luna. Rescuers said he was walking and talking.
.@breakingchesky has the report on the hiker found alive after one week in the wilderness.
Eugene Jo was hiking in Southern California when he became separated from his group. He has been transported to a local hospital, according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department. pic.twitter.com/Bm9Lrsmfhm
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) June 30, 2019
Approximately 75 people split into 11 search teams searched for Jo Saturday morning, Luna said.
Hiker Found in Arkansas Wilderness
In a similar story, a Texas hiker who went missing for six days has been found alive late June 7 in Arkansas.
Thousands of people heard the moment the Polk County Sheriff’s Office found Josh McClatchy through an online broadcast, reported WFAA. The office later confirmed that the missing hiker was found alive in the remote Caney Creek Wilderness area.
Polk County Sheriff Scott Sawyer told ABC that search-and-rescue crews used a National Guard helicopter and infrared technology to find the missing hiker. A team then spent about an hour to trek three miles to his location and another four hours to transport him out of the wilderness using a rescue cart.
McClatchy was happy to be found, he said. He was also dehydrated. Family members said he had protein bars and bottles of water with him when he went missing on June 1, in addition to a water filter that lets users drink from streams and other water sources.
McClatchy was taken to Mena Regional Health System, joined by his sister and parents.
“No matter what it takes.”
Joshua McClatchy’s friends aren’t giving up on finding him.
The Fort Worth hiker has been missing since Saturday. The search continues.More: https://t.co/V1omWSeclV @wfaa @THV11 @TEGNA @ABC #FindJoshuaMcClatchy pic.twitter.com/H6GS8j0PC8
— Tiffany Liou (@tliou) June 7, 2019
The CNN Wire and NTD News reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this article.
