Two Hiking Groups Get Lost In South Lake Tahoe Area Friday; Both Found Safe

El Dorado County Sheriff's Search and Rescue teams were called out twice on Friday evening, once to the Cascade Falls area and the other to Vikingsholm.

The first call came in just before 5 p.m. on Friday, March 15. Two women from Illinois were hiking near Cascade Falls and became lost. They called 911. While waiting to be located, the women came across other hikers who assisted them in returning to the camp ground where they were met by Search and Rescue at approximately 6 p.m. No injuries were reported.

Shortly after that there was an emergency call made by a woman who was hiking at Vikingsholm in Emerald Bay. She thought there would be a trail up Eagle Falls so she headed back to Highway 89 via the falls instead of the paved road she had walked down to the castle. It was getting dark and she couldn't see where to walk so she made the 911 call. El Dorado County officers located her via her phone's GPS signal. The Alameda County woman was hiking alone and returned safely.

According to El Dorado County Sheriff Deputy Greg Almos, who is in charge of Emergency Services and Search and Rescue, emergency calls to the back country are down this winter. Through the first 17 days of March in 2014, they have responded to 7 calls for assistance. During the same period in 2013 they responded to 17 calls. Almos said this is due in part to the lack of tourists in the area since most of their winter calls are for people going out of bounds at ski resorts.

Almos said these three hikers were lucky that they were able to call out and reach 911 as that isn't always the case. He said it is important to plan ahead when hiking, even if a short hike. Preparation is key.