Hikers rescued after spending night trapped on Eaton Canyon cliff

ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- Two hikers were successfully rescued from 1,000 feet above Eaton Canyon Monday morning after foggy weather hampered rescued efforts overnight.

An Altadena Mountain Rescue team began searching for the hikers around 8 p.m. Sunday in the canyon near the 2200 block of Pinecrest Drive, according to Los Angeles County sheriff's officials.

A Los Angeles County fire helicopter was called to hoist the hikers to safety after they were spotted uninjured around three hours later, but the operation was called off due to cloud cover and darkness, officials said.

The hikers, a man and woman, were in a steep area that is not accessible by trail but, LASD officials said, the pair had been communicating with the rescue team by cellphone late Sunday and an Altadena reserve captain was across the canyon to watch over the couple.

Morning clouds, fog and drizzle continued through the morning, which hampered the rescue until about 11 a.m.

Crews said once weather conditions cleared, they reached the couple quickly and conducted the rescue operation without issue. They were found with minor scratches and in good health.

After the ordeal was safely over, Humberto Solorio said he and his girlfriend simply got lost in the dark.

"I was pretty scared, it was scary up there," said Yneli Pineda, Solorio's girlfriend. "Everything was wet, it was really foggy, very cold - started raining on us."

The couple was stranded about 1,000 feet up and were able to share just a thin sweater to keep warm.

The couple had possibly faced a $5,000 fine from the U.S. Forest Service for being in an area that was off-limits to hikers - though the agency said a citation was not issued.