3 Stranded Backpackers Are Rescued

Three backpackers stranded in Los Padres National Forest after heavy rains were rescued Friday afternoon by a Ventura County Sheriff’s Department helicopter, officials said.

Roger Hope, 57, of Imlay, Nev., had been backpacking in the wilderness for eight days and was due back Thursday.

Alerted by a friend of Hope, a sheriff’s search-and-rescue helicopter was sent into the Sespe Wilderness, officials said.

At Sespe Hot Springs, Hope had met two Ojai men--Clarence Sterling, 51, and Richard Campbell, 41--who had been backpacking together.

The three hikers had been stuck in the back country due to heavy rains and flooding of Sespe Creek, officials said. They were well-equipped for the back country and in good condition, officials said. They were flown to the Ojai area.