UPDATE: Both Hikers Found Alive in Orange County
UPDATE | 2:36 p.m. PST: In a press conference, Orange County officials said that they were "confident" that they were going to find Kyndall Jack in the Cleveland National Forrest. Orange County Board of Supervisors' Todd Spitzer said that Jack and her friend Nicolas Cendoya are "very very lucky young people to have their futures ahead of them."
Orange County sheriff's Lt. Jason Park says that the injured reserved sheriff's deputy is in serious condition in the ICU; however, he did not sustain any life-threatening injuries.
Officials continued to emphasize the tough and difficult terrain that the national forrest and Trabuca Canyon has. They say that the high brush and deep terrain made it difficult for search and rescue volunteers and workers.
Spitzer called the area an "amazing lovely place, but a very dangerous place."
Park warned people about the dangers of being ill-prepared hikers. He reminded hikers to plan and prepare hikes; make sure to bring lots of food and water, dress appropriately, communicate with people that you are going hiking, and stay on the main trails.
UPDATE | 11:56 a.m. PST: Rescuers found Kyndall Jack in Trabuco Canyon. She has been missing since Sunday. The 18-year-old's condition is unknown, but she is conscious. Rescuers airlifted her out of the Cleveland National Forest and is transporting her to UC Irvine Medical Hospital. During the rescue, an Orange County reserved sheriff's deputy was injured. He is also being transported to a hospital to treat head trauma.
Authorities said that they were able to find Jack because someone "heard a female screaming."
Her family has been contacted. Capt. Jon Muir of the Orange County Fire Authority said that telling her family that she was ok was "the best news ever."
ORIGINAL | 9:00 a.m. PST: The search will continue Thursday in Orange County's Trabuco Canyon for Kyndall Jack. The 18-year-old went missing Easter Sunday when she was hiking with her friend, Nicolas Cendoya.
![Nicolas Cendoya and Kyndall Jack went missing while hiking Easter Sunday. (AP) Nicolas Cendoya and Kyndall Jack went missing while hiking Easter Sunday. (AP)](../../../sites/default/files/uploads/missing%20hikers.jpg)
Cendoya, 19, was found late Wednesday night "severly dehydrated and disoriented" about half a mile away from their parked car. Cendoya was transported to a Mission Viejo hospital in stable condition.
According to an Orange County sheriff's spokeswoman, Cendoya and Jack called authoirites around 8:25 p.m. Sunday to say they got lost while hiking in Holy Jim Canyon in the Cleveland National Forest. She also mentioned that the two warned that their cell phone's battery was dying. Therefore, authorities could not get an accurate GPS "ping" from the phone to identify the hikers' location, said Lt. Erin Ciudice.
A major air and ground search will resume for missing Jack.
Even though word of the missing friends has spread through social media, Orange County officials have warned concerned volunteers not to assist in the search. Two volunteers became lost and had to be tracked down and rescued.
"Let the resuers do what they do," Capt. Jon Muir of the Orange County Fire Authority told the Los Angeles Times.
"This is what they are trained in... They know the hills. They know everything and they can move very quickly."
But people and companies are still coming out to help. The Los Angeles Times reported that a local shaved ice company was handing out free refreshments to volunteers.
The two hikers are both Costa Mesa residents who workout together in a local gym. Cendoya is enrolled in Orange Coast College, and Jack is a freshman at Cal State Fullerton.