Two Mission Viejo Girls Slightly Hurt in Forest Mishap

Two teen-agers who slipped 15 feet down a hillside while hiking in the Cleveland National Forest Saturday were airlifted to a Mission Viejo hospital for treatment of minor injuries and later released, officials said.

The girls, 15 and 16, both of Mission Viejo, suffered bruises and contusions, a Mission Viejo Community Hospital spokeswoman said. Their names were not released.

“They were very, very lucky,” said administrative supervisor Kathy Keyes.

The girls had walked about two miles on a hiking trail near Holy Jim Canyon and were near a waterfall when they slipped and fell about 15 feet to some rocks, Orange County Fire Department spokesman Dave Grubb said.

A ham radio operator called the Fire Department about 8:20 a.m. Saturday and reported that two girls were injured and in need of help, Grubb said.

“It took us about one hour to hike in to where the victims were,” he said. “They were extricated from their position by the falls” and airlifted out by a U.S. Marine Corps search and rescue helicopter.

The girls initially were thought to have suffered broken bones, the spokesman said.

Grubb said he did not know how the ham radio operator became aware of the girls’ plight.