Missing Hiker In Frazier Park, Gab Song, Found Safe

FRAZIER PARK (CBSLA) – A search was successful Thursday for a 73-year-old Torrance man who went missing Tuesday while hiking in Frazier Park, near the Tejon Pass, after heavy snow and rain hit the region.

"I cannot explain how delighted," said close friend Peter Lee. "He's a very close friend who survived."

Gab Song was found safe around 12:26 p.m. Thursday, according to the Ventura County East Valley Search and Rescue Twitter page.

"Gab Song has been located safe and in good condition," said Kern County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Danielle Kernkamp. "He was located in the Lockwood Valley area by a private citizen."

Authorities said that Song was smiling and in good spirit s when he was found.

Song was first reported missing in the early morning hours Wednesday, the Kern County Sheriff's Office reports.

Song's son, Mike Song, told CBSLA Thursday that his father left home for the hike on Tuesday morning. When he did not return and did not answer his phone, the family notified authorities.

"So he went hiking Tuesday morning, and when it was 10 p.m. that same day, we realized when he wasn't home, and his phone went straight to voicemail," Song said.

Kern County deputies then found his car near a trailhead in Mount Pinos, which is located in Frazier Park in the Los Padres National Forest, on the county line between Kern and Ventura counties.

Search crews from KSCO and the Ventura County Sheriff's Office responded with choppers, snow-rescue vehicles and ground crews. The search continued throughout the day Wednesday, but ended in the evening. It resumed early Thursday morning.

Mike Song and his family believe it's possible that Song may have been caught unprepared by Tuesday's weather.

"I just know that the snowstorm was just such a random occurrence, I feel like he wasn't prepared for it," Song said.

Song added that his father is an avid hiker and was carrying a backpack. However, this was his first time on this particular trail.