High Sierra Topix

Posted: **Fri Jun 12, 2009 12:01 pm**

Missing Calif. hiker located after five days in El Dorado County forest

AP • June 11, 2009

A hiker who became lost after losing his compass in the Sierra Nevada was exhausted but otherwise OK after being found by search and rescue crews five days later.
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Authorities say 26-year-old Matthew Kinney of Pollock Pines, Calif., was dropped off at Loon Lake last Thursday, and had planned to hike out Saturday near Mount Tallac on the west side of Lake Tahoe.

Friends and family members called authorities when he didn’t show up.

Search and rescue teams from five nearby counties assisted in the search.

Officials say Kinney was found Tuesday in the backcountry of El Dorado National Forest, several miles from his intended destination.

He said he lost his compass on the second day of his trek and became disoriented.

Posted: **Sun Jun 14, 2009 1:32 am**

Sounds like he relied exclusively on technology. That's as bad as relying exclusively on intuition. Either extreme equals lost.

Posted: **Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:54 am**

To be fair, the article doesn't say anything about technology one way or the other. Maybe all he had was a compass and map, and without the compass became disoriented - maybe if he had a GPS he would have been fine.

Not enough information to be sure.

Posted: **Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:37 am**

nice to hear a good ending to this story and that he was found alive.
kudos to all those SAR who participated this incident.

High Sierra Topix

Missing Calif. hiker located after five days in El Dorado Co

Missing Calif. hiker located after five days in El Dorado Co

Re: Missing Calif. hiker located after five days in El Dorado Co

Re: Missing Calif. hiker located after five days in El Dorado Co

Re: Missing Calif. hiker located after five days in El Dorado Co