Missing hiker found alive after surviving more than 6 weeks in remote Canada wilderness
A hiker was found alive this week in the remote wilderness of northwest Canada, where he had been missing for more than six weeks, authorities said.
Sam Benastick was initially reported missing on October 19 after he failed to return from a backcountry trip. Redfern-Kelly Provincial ParkA remote landscape located in the northern Rockies of British Columbia, known for its alpine tundra and wild mountain landscape. Benastick was spotted by two men on their way to work on the park’s Redfern Lake Trail on Tuesday. according to Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They recognized him as the missing hiker and rushed Benastic to the hospital.
RCMP said Benastic told police he spent several days in the car as he embarked on a backcountry trip, then walked to a mountainside creek where he camped for 10 to 15 days. The hiker said he moved to another location deeper in the valley and set up a camp and shelter on a dry river bed. Eventually, Benastic found his way, where he met Redfern Lake Trail staff, more than six weeks after he first set out on the journey.
“Finding Sam alive is the absolute best outcome,” British Columbia RCMP spokesperson Corporal Madonna Sanderson said in a statement. “After he had been missing for so long, there was concern that this would not be the outcome. “
Benastic, 20, survived the extremely harsh conditions. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation said that when he was found, the hiker was using two crutches to support himself, cut off his back while sleeping, and wrapped his legs with cloth to keep warm. CBC news report. During the time he was missing, temperatures in the park were reportedly extremely cold, sometimes dipping to -20 degrees Celsius or -4 degrees Fahrenheit. bbc newsa CBS News partner.
“It’s very difficult for anyone to survive in these conditions, especially with limited supplies, equipment and food,” Prince George Search and Rescue search manager Adam Hawkins told the BBC.
Mike Reid, general manager of a hotel near Redfern-Keeley Provincial Park, told CBC News that Benastic’s condition was “not good” on Tuesday. But he is expected to recover.
After a report of Benastic’s disappearance was filed, authorities launched a massive search for him, but the search was called off at the end of October, according to BBC News. Police said once Benastic’s health improves, they plan to gather more information about what happened to the hiker and why he was missing for so long.
