Camarillo man rescued on Mt. Baldy
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

A Camarillo hiker was rescued uninjured Tuesday evening by using a cell phone and a hand-held global positioning device to direct a search and rescue team to his location on Mount Baldy in the San Gabriel Mountains.

"I'm glad to be off the mountain," Nathan Freund, 27, told television reporters after he was rescued following two nights spent atop the mountain in freezing temperatures.

According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, Freund went hiking in the remote mountain area on Sun., Jan. 20 with plans to spend the night and return the next day. He was, police said, an experienced hiker who made the trek well prepared with camping equipment, including a sleeping bag and food.

Freund became lost Mon., Jan. 21 when a heavy fog caused him to become disoriented while hiking the Big Horn Peak area, police said. Big Horn Peak's altitude is over 8,400 feet.

Freund sent a text message via his cell phone to his family to tell them he was lost. Soon after, he began sending a location beacon transmitted by his hand-held GPS device to alert rescue workers to his location.

Four search and rescue teams searched for Freund through Monday night but were unable to find the lost hiker who reported to police on Tuesday morning he was "O.K. and warm," according to a sheriff's department press release.

Later that morning, a sheriff's helicopter located Freund but was unable to land due to heavy fog and icy conditions, police said.

An eight-person rescue team made the five-hour hike to finally find Freund and lead him off the mountain, police said.