Family rescued by a CHP helicopter after losing their way on a hike in SLO County
A CHP helicopter rescued a family who got lost while hiking Friday in San Luis Obispo County.
According to a California Highway Patrol coastal division Facebook post, a family of three, including a 5-year-old child, went out for a hike in the Lopez Lake area but lost their way after sunset.
At around 7 p.m., San Luis Obispo sheriff’s deputies requested a CHP helicopter for a rescue on Hi Mountain Road, according to the Facebook post.
The family, from Santa Maria, had hiked to waterfalls in Lopez Canyon around noon, according to CHP officer and helicopter pilot Shayne Dickson.
The hikers went off trail and when it got dark, they couldn’t find their way back, Dickson said.
When they realized they were lost, the hikers called a family member who then made a 911 call, Dickson said. That was when CHP got the request from the Sheriff’s Office.
CHP crew members called the hikers directly and got their location coordinates from their phones, said Dickson. The three were spotted on the ridge line off Hi Mountain Road.
The H-70 chopper responded using infrared technology and night vision goggles to search the area.
“H-70’s crew members were able to observe the flashlight on one of the hikers’ cell phones,” CHP said in the post. “The helicopter landed nearby, and the crew hiked towards the family.”
Crew members flew the family back to Santa Margarita Ranch to transfer them to San Luis Obispo sheriff’s deputies, who then took the family back to their car.
