MISSING HIKER IN JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK WAS NOT LOST

Joshua Tree National Park Rangers and Search and Rescue volunteers spent two days searching for a missing 18-year-old Belgian hiker who, it turns out, wasn’t lost after all. According to Joshua Tree National Park spokeswoman Jennie Albrinck, Ullysee Gerken had been dropped off at the Boy Scout trail in Indian Cove for a five-day back-packing hike, making arrangements to be picked up Friday at Indian Cove, when he did not arrive by Friday evening, he was reported missing. About 7:15 p.m. Saturday, Albrinck said Gerken had been located, delayed a day. A half hour later, however, the Park Service corrected itself, and said the “found” hiker wasn’t Gerken after all, and he was still missing. Sunday morning 11:30 a.m., Gerken walked out of the Park on his own. Albrinck said there had been a misunderstanding about when and where he was supposed to have been met after his hike.