Palmdale hiker found safe after going missing in Angeles National Forest

A Palmdale man who went missing while hiking in the Angeles National Forest has been found safe and in good condition, authorities say.

Rene Compean was found near the Chilao Campgrounds and was to be transported to safety. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Compean does not need to be hospitalized.

Compean had sent a photo to a friend before he got lost, and search teams hoped eager hikers would be able to track down the location.

A caller reported that the walker was missing on Monday at 6 p.m. and said his 45-year-old friend had texted him saying he was lost and his cell phone was dying.

The hiker’s car was then found near the Buckhorn Campground and trailhead.

The photo Compean sent to his friend shows the hiker from the knees down with a cleft underneath. The legs are dirty, possibly from a forest fire.

According to the sheriff’s department, a Twitter user recognized the area where the photo was taken and crews were able to refine their search.

“We found a particular Twitter user that we had seen in the past. He seemed extremely knowledgeable, regarding maps and terrain, through many of his other endeavors,” said LASD Sgt. John Gilbert. “We started looking at the information he had gathered.”

They contacted Ben Kuo, a well-known ham radio operator.

“I started going through the process of looking at the picture to find out where it was,” said Kuo. “I do a lot of hiking too, so I’m a little bit familiar with the area. And I said, ‘Oh, I think I know where this guy is,’ found some GPS locations and gave it to the search and rescue worker . “

“That particular point he theorized he could be just happens to be overlaid within the terrain data from the cell phone we had,” Gilbert said. ‘So we thought we didn’t have any other good leads at the time, so why not check it out?’

Rescuers quickly spotted the walker in the clouds during a break and were able to get him to safety. Search crews say volunteers and keen-eyed Good Samaritans like Kuo are always key.

“I’ve provided information before, but this is the first time that it resulted in someone rescuing,” said Kuo. “So it’s great to see no one else stuck on a hill tonight.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.