A 50-year-old hiker who went missing in San Diego's rugged backcountry has been found and is now safe thanks to the efforts of the Sheriff's Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers. The woman, not named in the reports, had alerted her family to her hiking plans near Lake Morena campground in Campo, which had been overdue since last Friday morning, sparking an extensive search mission.
The search began last Saturday afternoon after the woman's family contacted the Sheriff's Rural Enforcement Division. As informed by San Diego County Sheriff's Office, her personal effects were found untouched at her cabin, and her vehicle was located near a trailhead, while the Sheriff's ASTREA helicopter along with ground teams from San Diego County Parks and Recreation and U.S. Border Patrol's BORSTAR unit scoured the area—footsteps believed to belong to the missing woman were later discovered on a trail by SAR volunteers.
The turning point came yesterday morning when SAR volunteers shouted her name into the darkness and were met with a response from the woman. Rescued from a precarious location around 10 miles from her vehicle, she was exhausted but in good condition. According to a press release by the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, the SAR team stayed with her, providing comfort until she could be hoisted to safety at dawn by a helicopter and subsequently returned to her family.
San Diego County Sheriff's Office extends its gratitude to the various agencies that contributed to the successful search and, in particular, acknowledges the 30 SAR volunteers who sacrificed their time to aid a community member in distress. Such efforts highlight the unit's search and rescue role and response to natural disasters and other emergencies.
