(WJW) – The Royal Canadian Mountain Police confirmed Wednesday that a 20-year-old hiker who was missing for several weeks has been found alive in the British Columbia wilderness.
Sam Benastic was first reported missing on October 19th. The hiker never returned from a 10-day camping trip, as reported by CBC News and other media outlets.
He had planned to ride dirt bikes, hike and fish at Redfern Cayley Provincial Park, but his family became concerned when he did not check in after 10 days, his sister said on the GoFundMe page.
“Our family is devastated and determined to find him,” she said of the fundraiser, which has raised more than $42,000.
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This prompted a massive search for the hiker, which included rescue teams, park rangers and volunteers.
According to the Royal Canadian Mountain Police, two people were walking along a trail at Redfern Lake around 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 26 when they spotted a man coming towards them.
He was carrying two walking sticks and had a chopped-up sleeping bag tied around his legs, CBC reported.
Investigators said the man was taken to the hospital, where police identified him as Benastic.
Benastic told investigators he stayed in the car for several days and then set up camp on the banks of a creek for 10 to 15 days.
“It then moved down the valley and established a camp and shelter on the dry river bed,” the Canadian Mountain Police said in a press release. “He then proceeded to the location where he alerted the pair and they were taken to safety.”
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Benastic survived 50 days in sometimes frigid temperatures. Temperatures in the area briefly dropped to -4 degrees Celsius, CBC reported.
In a press release, investigators thanked everyone who took part in the search.
“Finding Sam alive is the best possible outcome,” Corporal Madonna Sanderson said in a statement. “Sam has been missing for so long that I’m worried this might not be the outcome.” “It had been done,” he said.
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