A man and woman who went missing while on a day hike last weekend in the Mount Baldy area in the San Gabriel Mountains were rescued Wednesday. Gabrielle Wallace, 31, of Rancho Cucamonga and Eric Desplinter, 33, of Chino Hills spent nearly five days on an icy mountainside before rescuers picked up on two sets of footprints in Cucamonga Canyon, south of Mount Baldy, and followed them.
AP reports a helicopter was dispatched to the area of the prints and spotted two people near a campfire. The hikers were airlifted to the Mount Baldy fire station and where they were reunited with their families near Mount Baldy. Desplinter was described as an experienced hiker and the two were carrying proper equipment for the icy conditions.
Hats off to the search-and-rescue teams from six counties that volunteered to help comb the nearly 19,000 acres of rugged mountainous terrain. Great work.
