San Diego Men Rescued From Mount San Jacinto

PALM SPRINGS, CA – Two San Diego County men who got stuck on Mount San Jacinto for about 12 hours due to inclement weather now have a cautionary tale to tell fellow hikers.

Vijay Chintalapudi, 25, and Rao Hiteshwar, 27, both of La Jolla, were stranded atop the mountain just after 6 p.m. Saturday, after stormy weather forced them to take shelter inside an emergency hut near the mountain peak, according to sheriff's Sgt. Rudy Cortez.

Personnel from the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit, California State Parks and sheriff's Emergency Response Team were called in to assist the men. Cortez said weather and the terrain made hiking in the area "challenging," but crews were able to locate the hikers and escort them back down the trail early Sunday morning.

They sustained minor bumps, scratches and minor dehydration during their ordeal, according to the sergeant.

By City News Service / Image by Conn, Kit at the English language Wikipedia, used under Creative Commons