A hiker who was reported missing in the backcountry of northeast British Columbia more than five weeks ago has been found alive.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported yesterday that 20-year-old Sam Benastick had been located alive despite over a month in the wilderness during which the area has seen snow and temperatures below -4 F (-20 C).
"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," reports the RCMP.
The men took Benastick to the hospital where he is recovering from his ordeal. Benastick tells police he stayed in his car for a couple of days and then walked to a creek where he says he camped for 10 - 15 days. After that, he moved down the valley to a dried-out creek bed where he built a camp and shelter.
"Finding Sam alive is the absolute best outcome. After all the time he was missing, it was feared that this would not be the outcome," says Cpl Madonna Saunderson, BC RCMP Communications.
Mike Reid, the general manager of the Buffalo Inn in Pink Mountain, B.C. where Benastick's family reportedly stayed during the search tells the CBC he has heard that the hiker is "in rough shape." He was reportedly walking with the help of his trekking poles when he was found and had cut his sleeping bag and was wearing it wrapped around his legs to stay warm.
On October 21, the RCMP reported that Benastick had been reported overdue after leaving for a hiking and fishing expedition in the Redfern Lake trail area in the northern Rockies. At the time, he was known to have a tarp, a black Osprey backpack and other camping supplies. He was described as an "avid" hiker and camper and his disappearance was said to be out of character.
This story is the latest in several remarkable missing hiker stories of 2024. In June, Lukas McClish was found in California after spending 10 days missing without a shirt. He says he survived with the help of his Leatherman multi-tool and by drinking water from his hiking boot.
In August, Robert Schock was found "alive but not well" after spending over a month lost in North Cascades National Park. Shick later spoke to media about mistakes he had made that led to his disappearance. That same month, an 89-year-old hiker was located after spending 10 days lost in the wild in Idaho and over in the UK in September, mountain rescue teams located 67-year-old Paul Conway who had been lost for a week searching for Britain's most remote pub.
Backcountry safety for hikers
Many of the hikers in these stories were experienced in the outdoors, and it's a good reminder that hiking is an inherently risky activity. To help reduce your risk of getting lost and staying lost in the backcountry, the following tips may be helpful:
- Always tell someone where you are going
- Carry a map and compass in addition to GPS devices
- Consider investing in a satellite communicator like a Garmin InReach, which allows you to signal for help even when there is no cell service
- Carry gear for spending the night: headlamp, fire starter, warm layers, a water filter and emergency blanket or bivi bag
