Missing California Hiker Found Alive After Sheltering at a Stranger's Home During Unexpected Storm

A California hiker who went missing for several days has been found alive and well.

Gab Song, 73, was hiking alone at Mount Pinos when a sudden winter storm rolled in. 

“I just know that the snowstorm was such a random occurrence,” Mike Song, Gab’s son, said. “I feel like he was not prepared for because we thought he was going to be home early evening.” 

When Song wasn’t home by midnight and his phone went to voicemail, his family became worried and called the police. 

Search teams went looking for him on the ground using four-wheelers, and they searched from the air as well. 

Then, they received good news. 

“Gab Song has been located safe and in good condition,” Danielle Kernkamp from the Kern County Sheriff’s Department stated. “He was located in the Lockwood Valley area by a private citizen.”

The sheriff’s office says Song was found at someone’s home, and it’s unclear how he got there. 

“I cannot explain how delighted,” his friend Peter Lee said. “He’s a very close friend who survived.”

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