Hiker Sam Benastick who was lost in British Columbia’s backwoods for 50 days has been found alive.
Benastick, 20, was reported missing on Oct. 19 after he failed to return from a 10-day fishing and hiking trip in Redfern-Keily Park in the northern BC Rocky Mountains.
More than 50 people, and search dogs searched for Benastick. Police had called off the search in late October. Temperatures in the area had at times dropped to around -20C. His mother, Sandra Crocker, thanked the “endless volunteers” who had tried finding him.
On Tuesday, November 26, at 11:30 am, Northern Rockies RCMP were notified that Sam Benastick had been located.
RCMP said that two people were headed to the Redfern Lake trail for work, where they saw a man walking toward them. When they approached the man, they recognized him as Sam Benastick.
The two men took Sam to the hospital where police attended and confirmed the man to be the man reported missing.
Sam told police that he stayed in his car for a couple of days and then walked to a creek, mountain side where he camped out for 10-15 days. Then moved down the valley, and built a camp and shelter in a dried-out creek bed. He then made his way to where he flagged down the two men and was taken to safety.
“Finding Sam alive is the absolute best outcome. After all the time he was missing, it was feared that this was would not be the outcome
,” said Cpl Madonna Saunderson, BC RCMP Communications.
The RCMP would like to sincerely thank the Fort Nelson and North Peace and Search and Rescue teams including other Search and Rescue jurisdictions that provided mutual aid support, the Canadian Rangers along with many local volunteers with extensive back country knowledge of the area.
“The time, effort and resources put in to locate Sam from the time of notification he was missing was beyond measure. We are thankful for the great outcome,” said RCMP.
Mike Reid, the general manager of the Buffalo Inn in Pink Mountain, BC, who got to know Benastick’s family while they stayed there during the search, told media that the hiker had cut his sleeping bag and wrapped it around his legs to stay warm. Benastick was in “rough shape” and almost collapsed as he was put into the ambulance.
