Injured hiker, 2 friends who sought help rescued on Mount Baldy – NBC Los Angeles

An injured hiker and two friends who got lost when they searched for a cell signal to phone for help were rescued Monday off a Mount Baldy hiking trail in the San Gabriel Mountains.

The 18-year-old man from Moreno Valley injured his leg when he slipped and fell about 20 feet off Cucamonga Peak Trail. The steep and rocky trail in San Bernardino National Forest starts at Icehouse Canyon Trailhead near Mount Baldy, the summit of which is the highest point in the San Gabriel Mountains and Los Angeles County at more than 10,000 feet.

Members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Aviation Division responded, but the helicopter was unable to complete the rescue due to weather conditions.

A sheriff’s search-and-rescue team deployed on the ground and climbed toward the hikers. Weather conditions later cleared up, allowing a sheriff’s department helicopter to perform a hoist rescue, airlifting the 18-year-old hiker to safety

He was treated for his injuries at a hospital and released.

Before the rescue, the man’s two 17-year-old friends became lost when they searched for a cell signal to call for help. They were located Tuesday morning on the Lytle Creek side of the mountain and reunited with family members.

One search-and-rescue team member suffered minor injuries.

In late December, three hikers were found dead on Mount Baldy off a trail with notoriously steep drop-offs.

In a separate search in the Mount Baldy area, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department rescuers responded to Ontario Peak Trail earlier in December after a report of two stranded hikers, ages 18 and 31. One of the hikers was injured in a fall about 100 feet down from the trail. Both men were hoist-rescued by a helicopter crew.

Mount Baldy — aka Mount San Antonio — is home to already challenging hiking trails in the area, including scenic Devil’s Backbone with its steep drop-offs, that can become treacherous with snow and ice in winter.