Missing Canadian hiker found alive after spending weeks in blistering cold

A hiker who had been missing for more than six weeks was located in the Canadian wilderness earlier this week, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

The Northern Rockies RCMP were notified on Tuesday at around 11:30 a.m. that Sam Benastick, 20, had been located. He had been reported missing by his family on Oct. 19.

Benastick’s family became alarmed when he didn’t check in after embarking on a 10-day solo camping trip on Oct. 7 in harsh winter conditions, with temperatures plummeting below 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Benastick was found when two people traveling to the Redfern Lake Trail for work saw him walking toward him. He was using walking sticks to support himself and was using a cut-up sleeping bag to keep his legs warm.

The men took Benastick to the hospital, where police confirmed him as the missing camper.

He told police that he had stayed in his car for part of the time but then walked to a creek and the mountain side where he camped for 10 to 15 days. After that, he moved down the valley and built a camp and shelter in a dried-out creek bed before eventually flagging down the two men.

"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," said RCMP Cpl. Madonna Saunderson.

The agency went on to thank multiple jurisdictions that provided mutual aid support during the search, as well as the Canadian Rangers and volunteers with extensive backcountry knowledge of the area.

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"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," Saunderson said.

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A GoFundMe was set up by his sister following his disappearance to aid with expenses used to locate him.