Elderly Couple Rescued From Mountains

After being stranded with his wife for two harrowing days in a remote section of the San Bernardino Mountains, an elderly man hiked more than 10 miles to find help Wednesday.

“They are very lucky to be alive,” said San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Morgan.

Mary Rutherford, 76, and John Rutherford, 74, of San Bernardino, took a dirt road from Yucca Valley to Big Bear on Monday. But the sun set and their pickup became stuck in soft sand. The couple stayed together that night, until it became clear that no one was going to find them.

John Rutherford set out Tuesday morning, leaving his wife in the truck. He found a vacant trailer and slept there Tuesday night, and then set out again Wednesday morning. Just before 11 a.m., he flagged down a passing motorist and called the Sheriff’s Department from a nearby home.

Though searchers initially had trouble locating the car, a helicopter found it west of Yucca Valley and about 15 miles east of Big Bear.

Mary Rutherford was airlifted out of the mountains and taken to High Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree, Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said. The couple were reunited there. Neither had serious injuries.

“They were thirsty, but in relatively good condition,” Morgan said.

During the nights the woman spent in the car, temperatures dipped into the low 30s, Morgan said.

“She did the right thing to stay alive: She stayed with the vehicle instead of trying to venture out for help,” Morgan said. “The vehicle provided shelter from the elements.”