Missing Oceanside and Carlsbad Hikers Found

Three northern San Diego County men who went missing last weekend while hiking in the San Bernardino-area back country turned up today -- cold, tired and a bit scuffed up by their ordeal, but otherwise in good condition.

Deputies aboard a sheriff's patrol helicopter found Miguel DeLatorre and Ryan Shankles of Oceanside and David Yoder of Carlsbad about 10:15 a.m. in Northfork Meadows, near Mineshaft Campground.

The trio had heard the aircraft Monday and made their way to a clearing in hopes that they would be spotted from above, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

The men, described as experienced hikers, had gone missing Sunday morning as an unseasonably cold storm dropped snow on the region's highest elevations.

A friend who started the trek but turned back reported that the group had spent Friday night at Heart Bar Campground. On Saturday, they drove to a trailhead, planning to climb to the top of 11,503-foot Mount San Gorgonio, the tallest peak in Southern California.

In addition to airborne personnel, ground crews, including some on horseback and others with scenting dogs, combed the wilderness for the missing hikers. They failed to find any sign of them on Sunday, and the effort was suspended until shortly after sunrise yesterday.

When found about six miles from a command post set up for the search, the men had some cuts and scrapes, and one of them apparently had been on the verge of hypothermia, but they otherwise were healthy and did not require hospitalization, officials said.

They trio told news crews they had huddled together to stay warm.

–City News Service