Rescue workers saved a hiker who was trapped under rocks for as many as eight days on a hill in a Riverside, Calif., park without any food and water, according to firefighters.
Hiker Ramon Llamas and his German shepherd-mix "Molé" discovered the man on Mount Rubidoux about 8:30 a.m. PT Monday.
"I said to the guy, 'You need help? Are you OK?' When he reacted, he says, 'Somebody there? Please don't leave me. Don't leave me,'" Llamas said. "'You got some water?' And I gave him water, and a minute later, he said, 'You got some more?' Are you by yourself? 'Ya, I'm a tourist here. I'm hungry.'"
About an hour later, rescue workers were able to free the 44-year-old man, whose foot was pinned under rocks. He was hospitalized with symptoms of dehydration.
The man — who identified himself as Paul — told firefighters he lived "back east" and was trapped for four to six days, although officials said it could have been as long as eight days because the victim was unconscious at times.
"All indications are he had no water and no food with him," Bruce Vanderhorst of the Riverside Fire Department said.
Besides carrying plenty of water and snacks, paramedics warn hikers put themselves in danger when they forget essentials like carrying a cell phone or wearing proper hiking gear.
They also suggest going with a buddy and telling someone your plans, something Stacy Abraham does every time she climbs Mount Rubidoux.
"That way if I'm gone too long they know," Abraham said.
