A lost hiker is quickly found by a 'photo identification hobbyist'
On April 12, 2021, a hiker was lost in the mountains and sent a message to his friends asking for help along with a single image. In order to help the hiker, who had lost contact due to a dead smartphone battery, the friend spread the photo on social media through the authorities, and it was reported that the hiker's location was identified within a few hours by a person who enjoys identifying the location where the photo was taken.
Missing Hiker Found After Man Using Computer at Home Pinpoints His Location – NBC Los Angeles
California Hiker Rene Compean Rescued Due to Man's 'Very Weird Hobby' | PEOPLE.com
https://people.com/human-interest/one-mans-very-weird-hobby-was-the-key-that-led-searchers-to-missing-calif-hiker/
On this day, hiker Rene Compean was hiking Mount Waterman in the Angeles National Forest in California. Although Compean was used to hiking, the landscape of Mount Waterman had changed due to the recent wildfires , and Compean completely lost his way. Compean then sent a message to his friend asking for help around 18:00 local time, and then lost contact. The image Compean sent to his friend at that time is below.
The friend who received the message immediately notified the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department , who sent out a search and rescue team that searched all night, but only managed to find Compean's car at a campsite in Angeles National Forest.
The Sheriff's Office then posted a photo of Compean on social media and asked for information. A man named Benjamin Kuo saw the photo and contacted the Sheriff's Office.
Are you an Avid Hiker in the Mt. Waterman Area? #LASD SAR Teams need help locating a #missing hiker. He sent this picture to a friend. His car was found near Buckhorn Campground/Trailhead. Call us if you recognize the area pictured below 818-248-3464. https://t.co/Xi0VL6Mxfi pic.twitter.com/1lUMrgj4y9
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) April 13, 2021
Kuo, an avid hiker himself, said that his hobby was to identify where photos were taken, and he thought that his hobby might help Kompean. Rescue teams conducted a search based on the coordinates that Kuo had analyzed and determined, and found Kompean about 1.2 km away from the coordinates and successfully rescued him.
*UPDATE - FOUND SAFE* #LASD has #Found the Missing Hiker Safe in the Angeles National Forest https://t.co/FFskaMy2rU pic.twitter.com/4FpVdpRAa0
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) April 14, 2021
Mr. Kompean's life was not in danger and he did not need to be hospitalized. Mr. Kompean and Mr. Kuo met, and Mr. Kompean said, 'I am truly grateful for what you have done.'
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