2 hikers sought in Southern California mountains

MOUNT BALDY VILLAGE, Calif. (AP) — Search teams and helicopter crews are looking Monday for two hikers overdue on a weekend trek up a Southern California mountain.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department says 33-year-old Eric Desplinter of Chino Hills and 31-year-old Gabrielle Wallace of Rancho Cucamonga were last seen in the Mount Baldy area at 10 a.m. Saturday.

They were believed to be headed toward 8,862-foot (2,701-meter) Cucamonga Peak, a summit at the east end of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The hikers were supposed to have returned by 7 p.m. but a friend reported them overdue an hour later.

Desplinter is described as an experienced hiker. Cell phone calls to the pair have been unsuccessful.

Cucamonga Peak is about 40 miles (64.3 kilometers) northeast of downtown Los Angeles.