Man Missing 4 Days Found Alive in Maine Bog

A Maine man was found alive four days after he disappeared, and he apparently spent all that time in a bog. Michael Altmaier, 75, was reported missing after he failed to show up to a meeting at which he'd been expected last Monday, the Bangor Daily News reports. His car was found at a scenic overlook at Mount Blue State Park Thursday, and Altmaier himself was found the following afternoon in a bog at the state park not far from where his car had been found, NBC News reports. "It is believed Altmaier had fallen down over a ledged embankment Monday and likely became disoriented and ended up in the area of the bog that evening where he eventually had fallen and was unable to get up," the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife says. A game warden and his K-9 found Altmaier, CBS News reports.

Considering he'd apparently spent four days lying in the bog, authorities say he was in "surprisingly good condition." A helicopter transported him to an ambulance, which took him to a nearby hospital, where he stayed overnight. Per National Geographic, a bog is "a freshwater wetland of soft, spongy ground consisting mainly of partially decayed plant matter called peat." (More Maine stories.)