Missing hiker found alive after more than five weeks in wilderness

A hiker who was mislaid successful the backwoods of British Columbia for much than 5 weeks has been recovered alive.

Sam Benastick, 20, was reported missing connected 19 October aft helium failed to instrumentality from a 10-day sportfishing and hiking travel successful Redfern-Keily Park successful the bluish Rocky Mountains.

Authorities had called disconnected hunt and rescue efforts for the avid hiker successful precocious October. Temperatures successful the portion had astatine times dropped to astir -20C (-4F).

Mr Benastick was recovered connected Tuesday by 2 radical headed to the Redfern Lake way for work, who recognised him arsenic the missing hiker arsenic helium walked towards them.

Given each the clip helium was missing, a antithetic result had been feared, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl Madonna Saunderson told the BBC connected Wednesday.

"We're precise grateful. The household is thrilled," she said, adding that helium had simply gotten lost.

Mr Benastick told constabulary that helium stayed successful his car for a mates of days and past walked to a creek wherever helium camped for 10 to15 days. At the clip helium went missing, helium was equipped with a tarp, a backpack and immoderate camping supplies.

He past moved down the vale and built a campy and structure successful a dried-out creek bed. Winter conditions ramped up, with immoderate snowfall.

Eventually, Mr Benastick made his mode to the country wherever helium flagged down his rescuers.

"Those are precise hard conditions for truly anyone to to past in, particularly [with] constricted supplies and instrumentality and food," Prince George Search and Rescue hunt manager Adam Smith told the BBC.

"Even idiosyncratic with rather a spot of acquisition would find that challenging."

Multiple rescue teams, the Canadian Rangers, the RCMP, and household and friends, had each conducted a crushed and aerial hunt implicit "a beauteous immense magnitude of terrain", Mr Smith said.

The rugged, distant portion was hours from immoderate towns, and featured low-lying hills, steep alpine cliffsides, and "even glaciated terrain", helium said.

Little is known astir Mr Benastick's information oregon however helium survived successful the backwoods. He is presently successful hospital.

Local inn proprietor Mike Reid, who got to cognize Mr Benastick's household portion they stayed astatine his constitution during hunt efforts, told broadcaster CBC that the hiker had chopped his sleeping container and wrapped it astir his legs to enactment warm.

He said helium was told the young antheral astir collapsed arsenic helium was placed into the ambulance and was successful "rough shape".

Before helium was found, Mr Benastick's past known determination was astatine a trailhead successful the portion of Redfern Lake - the park's largest water - wherever helium was seen utilizing his reddish ungraded bike, according to the RCMP.

Mr Smith, the hunt manager, said helium is "intensely curious" to larn much astir the country wherever Mr Benastick was recovered and what helium was doing portion missing to assistance pass aboriginal hunt and rescue operations.