NEWBURY PARK : 3 Hikers Rescued in Serrano Canyon

A Newbury Park man and his two sisters were rescued early Sunday morning in Serrano Canyon near Point Mugu after the three became lost during a hike, authorities said.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Team started looking for the trio after the wife of Thomas Mulligan, 43, reported about 11:45 p.m. that her husband and his two sisters had not returned from a Saturday afternoon hike in Big Sycamore Canyon off Potrero Road. The rescuers, who are mainly volunteers, began their search of the canyon about 3 a.m., Lt. Bill Montijo said.

Mulligan and his sisters, Joanne Mulligan, 32, and Susan Mulligan, 30, both of Kenosha, Wis., were found by rescue workers about 4:15 a.m. in Serrano Canyon, just east of the Big Sycamore Canyon Trail, according to a statement by Ventura County Sheriff’s Sergeant Keith Parks.

The hikers were unharmed, but Thomas Mulligan said his pride was slightly injured.

“I feel kind of stupid, actually,” said Mulligan, a production manager for a Ventura electronics tool manufacturer.

He said he used to know the Big Sycamore Canyon Trail very well, but rains earlier this year had caused the brush to become overgrown.

“The trail was just obliterated,” he said.

When night fell about 8:30 p.m., the group, wearing T-shirts and slacks, decided to wait until daybreak to find their way out. Mulligan said they were trying to sleep when they were awakened by the sirens of the rescue team.