2 Hikers Found Alive After Disappearing For Several Days Near Mount Baldy

MOUNT BALDY (CBSLA) – A man and woman who went missing while on a day hike last weekend in the Mount Baldy area in the San Gabriel Mountains were rescued Wednesday.

Eric Desplinter, 33, of Chino Hills and Gabrielle Wallace, 31, of Rancho Cucamonga, were taken to a fire station on the mountain after disappearing around 10 a.m. April 6 in the area of Ice House Canyon and Cucamonga Peak, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Search and rescue crews followed footprints that led them to the pair.

"The search team alerted the command post and provided coordinates for the Sheriff's helicopter, 40King, to fly over the area. The aviation crew spotted a camp fire and could see two subjects and believed they were the two missing hikers," officials said.

SKY2's Stu Mundel was over the scene, where he said the pair was transported in "good condition" Wednesday night.

The two were supposed to return by 7 p.m. April 6, and when they had not returned by 8 p.m., their friend contacted authorities, the sheriff's department said. They were believed to have limited amounts of food and water.

Brenda Wallace, Gabrille's mother, told CBS2 that Desplinter is Gabrielle's boss. She said her daughter recently purchased all of her hiking gear for this trip with a large group of friends. She added the two were hiking with a group when they became separated and never made it back to the car.

"I know he wouldn't leave her and she wouldn't leave him," Brenda Wallace said.

Desplinter is an experienced hiker, according to the sheriff's department.

An air and ground search was conducted, which involved multiple sheriff's helicopters and several search and rescue teams from San Bernardino, Los Angeles and San Diego counties.