George Null was in surprisingly good condition for someone who’d been lost in the wilderness for five days.
Besides a few scratches and a gnawing hunger, the 58-year-old hiker had no serious injuries after being rescued from Bear Creek Canyon in the Angeles National Forest by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday afternoon. He’d spent roughly 120 hours in the remote area with few supplies, withstanding overnight temperatures in the upper 30s.
“He was in fantastic shape considering what he’d gone through,” said Sgt. John Gilbert of the sheriff’s Crescenta Valley station.
When Null set out Saturday morning, he’d intended to trek around Mount Waterman — an off-limits area scarred by last year’s Bobcat fire. He packed light for what was supposed to be a day hike, bringing just a little food and water and wearing shorts. But at some point, he apparently got disoriented, straying far from where he wanted to go, Gilbert said.
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