Hiker Missing in BC Wilderness for More Than Five Weeks Is Found Alive

Northern Rockies RCMP officials were notified on Nov. 26 that hiker Sam Benastick, who had been reported missing on Oct. 19, had been located. RCMP

A hiker who was reported missing in mid-October after failing to return from a camping trip in British Columbia’s Northern Rockies has been found alive.

Hiker Sam Benastick, 20, was found by two workers on their way to the Redfern Lake trail, located in the remote wilderness of B.C.’s Redfern-Keily Provincial Park, according to an RCMP press release on Nov. 27. The two men recognized Benastick and took him to hospital, where police confirmed his identity.

“Finding Sam alive is the absolute best outcome,” said Cpl. Madonna Saunderson. “After all the time he was missing, it was feared that this would not be the outcome.”

Described as an avid hiker and camper, Benastick began his hike on Oct. 7. His family lost contact with him the following day and reported him missing on Oct. 19, two days after his expected return.

Benastick had last been seen at the trailhead in the Redfern Lake trail area, “where he began using his red Honda dirt bike,” RCMP said in an Oct. 29 press release.

Benastick told police he stayed in his car for a few days and then camped on a mountainside for 10 to 15 days. He later went down a valley and built a shelter in a dry creek bed before heading to the area where he found the two workers, according to the release.

Officials did not comment on why Benastick lost contact with his family or what happened to his car or dirt bike.

Benastick carried a tarp, a large backpack, and camping supplies, according to officials.

Mike Reid, general manager of the Buffalo Inn in Pink Mountain, B.C., told The Epoch Times he hosted Benastick’s family from Oct. 24 to Nov. 11 as they searched for their son. He said the young hiker is now recovering in Fort Nelson Hospital.

“He was pretty weak, and didn’t look too good, but he’s definitely in the hospital, living,” he said.

Reid, a father himself, said he developed a close relationship with Benastick’s family while “comforting” them during their search. He described the news as “unbelievable.”

“It was just amazing, I just couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I gotta know how he did it.”

Although Reid doesn’t Benastick personally, he hopes the family will drop by when they leave the hospital. He said the news was welcome in Pink Mountain–a community of about 100 residents–where the search for Benastick had been an ongoing topic.

The effort to locate Benastick involved various groups including police, search and rescue teams, Canadian Army Reserve Rangers, and local volunteers.