Missing 75-year-old hiker rescued from treacherous icy California peak, cops say

A missing 75-year-old hiker was found safe on an icy, wind-swept California peak, rescuers reported.

Searchers found Jin Chung of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 24, on Mount Baldy, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.

But searches for two other missing hikers, including British actor Julian Sands, continue, the release said.

Chung vanished after carpooling to Mount Baldy with two others Sunday, Jan. 22, KTLA reported. He split up with the others and did not return for a planned meet-up at 2 p.m.

He was later found with a leg injury and some weather-related ailments but was able to hike out with rescuers, sheriff’s officials said.

Sands, 65, who starred in several Oscar-nominated films including “A Room With a View,” was reported missing Jan. 13, McClatchy News reported.

“No evidence of his current location has been discovered,” the latest news release said. The search for Sands will continue, weather and ground conditions permitting.

“I know in my heart that he has gone,” his brother, Nick Sands, told the Craven Herald & Pioneer. “However sibling rivalry being what it is, it would be just like him to walk out of there and prove me wrong.”

Robert Gregory, 61, of Hawthorne, also remains missing in the San Gabriel Mountains, sheriff’s officials said. He was last seen Jan. 16, KTTV reported.

Conditions on Mount Baldy, the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains about 45 miles northeast of Los Angeles, are so dangerous sheriff’s officials suggest even experienced hikers avoid the area.

“The conditions this year are the iciest I’ve ever seen,” hiker Doug Hardy told KTLA. “It’s way harder coming down. If you’re going up the 45-degree sheet of ice, when you turn around and look down it’s like man, you cannot screw that up.”

The National Weather Service said winds on Mount Baldy reached up to 60 mph, according to the station.

Two hikers have died on the mountain in recent months.

This story was originally published January 25, 2023 at 7:18 AM with the headline "Missing 75-year-old hiker rescued from treacherous icy California peak, cops say."