Rescue Team Finds Stranded Hiker

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST — Members of the San Dimas Mountain Rescue Team on Monday morning found a West Covina hiker who was stranded overnight.

Michael Kirchner, 22, was discovered about 7:30 a.m. walking on a trail about two miles north of the popular Bridge to Nowhere, said Sgt. Brian Camou of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s station in San Dimas.

Kirchner became separated from his brother and sister about 25 miles up Azusa Canyon during a hike and failed to show up at a designated meeting site. Sheriff’s Lt. Anselmo Gonzalez said Kirchner’s family members reported him missing at 7:40 p.m. Sunday.

Dressed in sweats, tennis shoes and a sweater, Kirchner was described as a hiker of very limited experience who was not prepared for an overnight stay in the mountains, Gonzalez said. But deputies reported Kirchner was in good condition when they found him Monday morning.

The area that surrounds Bridge to Nowhere is “very treacherous” and impossible to navigate in the dark, said Gonzalez. “Without a flashlight you wouldn’t see the hand in front of your face,” he added.