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A missing hiker who spent 50 days alone in the frozen wilderness of western Canada has been found alive.
Benastick himself was found by two men on their way to work near the remote Redfern-Keily Provincial Park, approximately 250 km northwest of the town of Fort St John, British Columbia.
Workers took the missing hiker to a hospital, where police confirmed his identity as Benastick, who had gone on a solo camping trip in the park on October 7.
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Described as an avid outdoorsman, Benastick was due to return from a 10-day trip on October 17, but when he didn’t arrive home, his family reported him missing to the police.
Benastick told his rescuers he stayed in his car for “a few days” before walking to a stream on the mountain where he camped for about 10 to 15 days, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said.
He later moved down the valley and built a camp and shelter in a dry creek bed, before finally finding his way to the Redfern Lake trailhead where he flagged down two men who recognized him as the missing hiker on Tuesday and drove him to safety, according to police.
“Finding Sam alive is absolutely the best outcome,” RCMP spokeswoman Corporal Madonna Saunderson said.
“After all the time he had been missing, it was feared that would not be the outcome.”
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After his disappearance, investigators said the missing man was believed to be carrying a tarp, a black Osprey backpack and other items when he went on the hike.
Police later said he was believed to be using a Honda motorcycle in the park when he disappeared.
Search and rescue personnel and police dogs were called to assist in the search, but no sign of the missing man was found.
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Temperatures in the region recently dipped below -20 degrees with accumulating snow, according to weather data from Environment Canada.
Redfern-Keily Provincial Park contains some of the most scenic and rugged landscapes in the northern Rockies, marked by distinctive glaciers, alpine tundra and abundant wildlife, according to British Columbia Parks.
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