Hiker recovering after rescue from Angeles National Forest

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An Arcadia man was in the hospital Monday after he was rescued from the frigid Angeles National Forest, where he had been hiking with friends.

He survived 26 hours in the freezing cold, said Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials.

Danny Kim, 28, was discovered by search-and-rescue personnel about 8 p.m. Sunday. He was described as wet, injured and “extremely hypothermic.”

Kim was airlifted by the Los Angeles County Fire Department to a hospital, where he was in stable condition, Deputy Matt Bodell said Sunday.

Kim and two friends went hiking in the West Fork area of the forest and attempted to go north on a trail in the late afternoon Saturday, Bodell said. Kim got separated from the group about 6 p.m. and endured below-freezing temperatures overnight as searchers tried to locate him.

Family members described Kim as physically fit and “determined,” Bodell said, adding that the average person could not have endured the cold. Kim had only a light jacket and no flashlight, Bodell said, but search-and-rescue personnel found him walking.

“If he had sat down, that would have been a problem,” Bodell said.

Bodell said Kim appeared to have sustained a small injury to the back of his head. He was being treated for that injury and his hypothermia Sunday night, Bodell said.

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-- Matt Stevens