Here's the LA Times full story:
"Three hikers were rescued Monday from Mt. Whitney after a combined search-and-rescue effort by Inyo County Sheriff's Department personnel and a California National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
The three had been missing since a snowstorm Saturday.
Inyo County sheriff's spokeswoman Carma Roper said the helicopter found the hikers near the 15,000-foot summit, the highest peak in the contiguous United States.
Michael Pettleton, 25, and Michael Cady, 37, both of La Verne, and Travis Cone, 29, of San Dimas are experienced hikers who took shelter near a rock and used blankets for warmth, Roper said.
On Monday, they hiked down the mountain and were taken by helicopter to Lone Pine Airport."
Poorly written piece.