Rene Compean was found near the Chilao campsites and was to be transported in the air. According to the Sheriff’s Department in Los Angeles, Compean does not need to be hospitalized.
Compean sent a photo to a friend before he got lost and search teams were hoping eager hikers could identify the location.
A caller reported the hiker missing at 6pm on Monday, saying his 45-year-old friend had texted him saying he was lost and his cellphone was dying.
The hiker’s car was then found near the Buckhorn campsite and railroad.
The photo Compean sent to his friend shows the hiker from below with a ravine. The legs are dirty, possibly from a wildfire area.
According to the sheriff’s department, a Twitter user recognized the area where the photo was taken and what enabled the crew to narrow their search.
“We found one specific Twitter user we’ve seen in the past. He was very knowledgeable about mapping and terrain through many other efforts,” said LASD Sgt. John Gilbert. “We started looking at the information he gathered.”
They contacted Ben Kuo, a well-known ham radio operator.
“I started looking at the process of looking at the photo and finding out where it is,” Kuo said. “I walk a lot too, so I’m a little familiar with the area. And I said, ‘Oh, I think I know where this guy is,’ and I found some GPS places and put it to the search. given and salvation. ‘
“The specific point he theorizes that he may be has accidentally overwritten the data from the cell phone site we had,” Gilbert said. “So we realized we had no other good clues at that point, so why not watch it?”
The rescuers quickly spotted the hiker during a breather in the clouds and were able to hoist him to safety. Search staff say volunteers and Good Samaritans like Kuo are always the key.
“I have provided information before, but this is the first time it has resulted in anyone being rescued,” Kuo said. “It’s really nice to see someone not sitting on a hill tonight.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2021 KABC-TV. All rights reserved.