Hiker trapped in raging whirlpool saved by off-duty police officer
A California highway patrolman ties a stick to a backpack string to pull the 24-year-old hiker to shore.
A 58-year-old hiker was found after five grueling days in an area of the Angeles National Forest that was scorched by last year's Bobcat Fire.
George Null was spotted deep in a canyon Wednesday by a helicopter crew after he got lost during a day hike about 25 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles on Saturday.
A rescue team for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office tweeted out a photo of a smiling Null, saying he was "happy to be safe and airlifted" out of the wilderness.
George Null, 58, was (Special Enforcement Bureau, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office)
Null's sister, Rebecca Latta, told CBS Los Angeles that her brother is an experienced hiker and an Eagle Scout, but became disoriented since trail markers were burned in a fire last year.
"He gave me a huge hug," Latta told the local news outlet. "I think he’s so exhausted that I really think he doesn’t have a lot of words right now and he’s a little bit delirious after five days of wandering around in the forest."
More than 180 square miles in the Angeles National Forest were burned last year by the Bobcat Fire. (NASA's Earth Observatory)
The Bobcat Fire burned more than 180 square miles in the San Gabriel Mountains last September, making it one of the largest fires ever in Los Angeles County, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.
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The Forest Service has since closed down large parts of the San Gabriel Mountains and recommended that hikers stay out of them while they reestablish trails.
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