4 Mountain Bikers Get Much More Than a 3-Hour Tour

Four Orange County bicyclists emerged safe Wednesday after being stranded overnight in Black Star Canyon while following a deer trail, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department reported.

The men found their way out of the steep terrain about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday after following a stream that led to a house where they were fed breakfast, department spokesman Jim Amormino said.

The men said they were generally familiar with the area because they frequently spent their weekends clearing mountain-bike trails in the Santa Ana Mountains. On Tuesday, they said, they decided to explore a new path.

The men headed out about 4:30 p.m. for what was expected to be a three-hour ride along Smash Face Trail, which begins at Silverado Canyon Road.

But at dusk, a wrong turn led to a 16-hour ordeal. One of the men called his wife on his cell phone and she notified police. “We knew how to get out, but it was pretty dark even after the moon came out,” said Mark Wilson, 41.

The men ate power bars and, with temperatures in the 60s, dug holes and squeezed into them for warmth while they slept.

A volunteer search-and-rescue team in a helicopter spotted the group’s bicycle reflectors but was unable to get to the men, Amormino said.

“The area was too remote and had no access and there were too many hanging power lines for our helicopters to land,” he said.

About 4 a.m. Wednesday, rescue crews resumed their search but the men had left their location, following a creek.

They hiked about two miles, carrying their bikes above their heads and avoiding patches of poison oak before they reached a house where a woman gave them bagels and water.

They resumed their hike to their cars when they were spotted by rescuers, who took them to a nearby church.

“I’m just glad everyone is OK,” said Jim O’Connell, 30, of Capistrano Beach, who had scrapes and cuts on his legs. “It wasn’t that bad. If there was a time to get lost, it was last night. It was not cold. We had fun. It was a great bonding experience.”