7 hikers airlifted at Malibu Creek park

Seven hikers who got lost Monday while trudging through a rugged gorge in Malibu Creek State Park were airlifted to safety just after sunset, authorities said.

The group had been hiking on a trail but became disoriented on the way back. The hikers knew they were losing daylight and began to worry, said Ed Pickett, a supervising fire dispatcher with Los Angeles County Fire. At 4:12 p.m, the hikers dialed 911, and before long a fire helicopter swooped above the craggy, chaparralcovered slopes.

“It took us a little while to find them — about half an hour,” Pickett said, noting that rescuers were assisted by technology that pinpoints a caller’s latitude and longitude.

The group was eventually located just east of an area once used as a set for the “M*A*S*H” TV series, Pickett said.

The hikers were airlifted out in two groups — at 5:27 p.m. and 5:58 p.m. — and were taken to a command post nearby. None were injured or taken to a hospital.

It’s not uncommon for hikers to get lost in the state park, which spans 8,000 acres, including several miles of stream-side trails twisting through sycamore woodlands.

“It’s a pretty massive park,” Pickett said. “If you get off the beaten path, we have lost hikers there all the time.”

Last month, more than 50 campers were rescued from flash flood conditions at nearby Leo Carrillo State Park, where several vehicles became trapped in thick mud.

Also last month, two hikers were rescued near Mt. Baldy in San Bernardino County after losing their cellphones during a precipitous descent, according to authorities.

One of those hikers, Matthew Jaurequi, lost his footing and slid. His friend grabbed for him, but both slid about 150 feet. Jaurequi managed to locate a cellphone while jabbing at the snow with a stick. The phone, which had been lost by another hiker days earlier, had its battery at 1%. But he got through to 911.

“Hitting that spot is like one in a billion,” his friend said.