Authorities feared the worst for a 20-year-old missing more than five weeks in the backwoods of the Canadian Rocky Mountains—but he was found alive Tuesday. Two people heading to work in British Columbia's Redfern-Keily Park recognized Sam Benastick as the missing hiker as he walked toward them on a service road, the BBC reports. Benastick had been reported missing Oct. 17 when he didn't return from a 10-day fishing and hiking trip in the park, and he ultimately spent almost 50 days in the wilderness, CJDC-TV reports. Authorities had called off the search in late October amid temperatures that sometimes dipped as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit and occasional snow, the CBC reports.
A member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police says Benastick got lost, and that all he had with him was a tarp, a backpack, and some camping supplies. "Those are very difficult conditions for really anyone to survive in, especially [with] limited supplies and equipment and food," says the Prince George Search and Rescue search manager. "Even someone with quite a bit of experience would find that challenging." Benastick is currently recovering from frostbite and smoke inhalation in a hospital. A local inn manager who got to know Benastick's parents as they stayed there during the search says the 20-year-old had cut up his sleeping bag and wrapped it around his legs for warmth, and was supporting himself with two sticks when he was found. (More uplifting news stories.)
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