Missing Hiker Found In San Diego County's Backcountry After 2 Days

SAN DIEGO, CA — A woman who went missing during a hike was found after being lost for two days in San Diego County's backcountry, authorities said.

The 50-year-old woman's family reported her missing shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. Family members told deputies they had not heard from her since she sent a text around 8:30 a.m. Friday when she was about to start hiking near the Lake Morena campground in Campo.

San Diego Parks and Recreation staff told deputies the woman missed her checkout time at her cabin near Lake Morena and her belonging were still in the cabin. Her vehicle was later found near a trailhead in the area.

Volunteers with the department's Search and Rescue Unit and a sheriff's helicopter searched for the woman in the area. The Parks and Recreation Department searched the trail with an off-road vehicle, while the U.S. Border Patrol's Search, Trauma and Rescue Unit deployed two team members with a search and rescue dog.

Shoe prints believed to be the missing woman's were found just before 10 p.m. Saturday on a trail, according to the sheriff's office. The team followed the shoe prints and yelled out for the woman. They heard a woman yell back just after 4 a.m. Sunday. They found the woman around 5 a.m. in a steep and rocky area almost 10 miles from where she had parked her vehicle.

The woman was exhausted, but in good condition, sheriff's officials said. Volunteers stayed with her until a sheriff's helicopter hoisted her around 8 a.m. She was airlifted to the Lake Morena campground, where she was treated and then reunited with her family.