Teams Search Matilija Canyon for 2 Hikers

Ventura County Sheriff’s Department search-and-rescue teams spent Sunday combing Matilija Canyon looking for two hikers who failed to report Saturday after a day hike in the heavily wooded canyon north of Ojai.

After James Seebirt, 56, of Ojai and Bill Hallfish, 59, of Camarillo failed to return home after sundown Saturday, family members notified authorities, who quickly began organizing a search of the canyon, Sheriff’s Lt. Gary Backman said.

The first search teams hit the trails about 2 a.m. Sunday, with a helicopter unit joining them at dawn, Backman said.

Donna Seebirt, James Seebirt’s wife, said her husband and Hallfish are experienced hikers who recently completed a long hike of the Half-Dome area at Yosemite National Park.

“Both Jim and Bill are in great shape and have been hiking together for years,” Donna Seebirt said. “They know how to handle themselves in rough terrain. I’m confident they’re OK.”