Helicopter crew rescues lost hiker at Point Reyes

A California Highway Patrol helicopter crew rescued a lost hiker at Point Reyes National Seashore early Saturday morning, CHP officers said.

The helicopter was summoned around 12:15 a.m. after the man called his family via cellphone saying he was lost and searching for the Estero Trail, according to the CHP.

A CHP helicopter with a three-person crew left immediately from Napa County Airport and arrived above the park around 12:30 p.m.

The helicopter crew advised the Marin County Sheriff's Office to tell the hiker to wave a light source in the aircraft's direction.

Using night vision goggles, the officers scoured the area around the Estero Trailhead and spotted a light source - a headlamp with LED lighting that the man had brought.

The helicopter landed in a clearing and the CHP officers found and identified the hiker.

The man was cold after enduring 39-degree temperatures for several hours but was uninjured, according to the CHP.

He was evaluated briefly and taken to waiting rangers who immediately called the man's family to tell them he'd been rescued.

The hiker is a photographer who visited the park preserve to take wildlife photos and got lost on the way back to his car, a CHP officer said.

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