Victorian hiker found more than 24 hours after going missing

Police and the State Emergency Service are working to bring a missing hiker home after she was found alive in bushland more than 24 hours after she first went missing.

Susan Hood disappeared yesterday while taking photographs in the Baw Baw National Park at Mount Erica.

Volunteers joined experienced searchers today, scouring the rugged and dangerous terrain desperate for any sign of the 53-year-old.

Ms Hood set off from the car park sometime yesterday afternoon and followed the remote trail four kilometres to the peak.

She got to the summit and was returning to base when around 6.40pm she became lost and phoned a friend to alert police.

Rescue teams left at 1am and camped in freezing conditions on the cliffs overnight.

The dog squad and police air wing were called in to navigate, while a set of footprints was the only indication that Ms Hood was not injured.

Search and rescue teams returned this afternoon in deteriorating conditions to trek back up to the peak before night fell.

The search was successful, with Ms Hood located just after 6pm.

Ms Hood is reportedly capable of walking, but will be extracted by rescue crews and assessed by paramedics.