Two Missing Hikers Rescued in Forest

Two missing Orange County hikers were rescued--cold but otherwise healthy--in the Angeles National Forest Sunday morning, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies said.

When Ernest Chambers, 47, of Huntington Beach and Andrew Hawes, 22, Costa Mesa were found by the San Dimas Mountain Rescue team at 11:10 a.m., the two men were only a two-hour hike from their destination, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Bob Nimtz said.

Chambers and Hawes were dropped off early Saturday morning by a friend at Mt. Waterman near California 2 for a hike that should have ended later that afternoon at Lower Bear Creek near California 39.

Reported Missing

When they failed to rendezvous with their ride home, their friend reported them missing.

“Although they had water, sandwiches and fruit, neither was prepared to spend the night in the wilderness,” Sheriff’s Deputy Roxanna Schuchman said. “It’s a pretty rugged trail, and the interior route was actually more like a two-day hike than a one-day hike.”

The men were dressed in jeans and sweat shirts, Sgt. William Ross said. When nighttime temperatures dropped below 29 degrees, the pair apparently huddled in the shelter of large rocks, trying to stay warm.

Sheriff’s helicopters were dispatched at daylight Sunday, but winds that whipped up to 35 m.p.h. sent them back without finding the hikers. Chambers and Hawes were later found by a team of rescuers in four-wheel-drive units.

“They were in good health, but I’d venture to say they were chilly,” Ross said.