Injured Hiker Finds His Way Out Of Mountains After Enduring Intense Winds

By Web staff

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    SAN BERNARDINO, California (KCAL) — Equipped with only a paper map, an axe and some patience, an injured hiker survived a fall from the tallest peak in Southern California.

An experienced hiker, David Nguyen set out on Saturday morning for a day trip into the snow-capped San Gorgonio Mountain. But after he tumbled down the slope, he found himself fighting to survive.

“I decided to take the chute down and this is when I slipped, a couple of times,” said injured hiker David Nguyen. “I had to use my axe to stop from free falling. Probably about 300 feet the first time and another 400 feet the second time.”

Injured, in below-freezing temperatures and without much gear for an overnight stay, Nguyen was forced to hunker down in the mountains and wait out the 50-60 mph winds. In the meantime, worried about the 57-year-old, Nguyen’s family hoped that search and rescue teams set up in the Angelus Oaks could find him.

But once the winds died down, the retired police officer had no trouble using his paper map to make it back to his car at the South Fork trailhead parking lot.

“Monday, woke up, perfect temperature and I had my map with me,” Nguyen said. “Just a paper map. So I was able to find my way out.”

Nguyen is grateful for the search and rescue teams and feels blessed to be alive. He is now going to a hospital for treatment.

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