Two men hiking in British Columbia’s backcountry stumbled upon a lost hiker named Sam Benastick who had been reported missing a month earlier. Benastick was spotted on a service road, using walking sticks and a cut-up sleeping bag wrapped around his legs for warmth. The men took him to a local hospital where police confirmed his identity and found that he was in poor shape, weak, and experiencing frostbite and smoke inhalation.
Benastick had been camping in the area after failing to return home from a 10-day trip in Redfern-Keily Park. He initially stayed in his car for several days before setting up a shelter in a dried creek bed and spending 10-15 days there.
The extensive search for Benastick included multiple teams, including search and rescue teams, the Canadian Rangers, and local volunteers, but he was found nearly a month after he disappeared. His parents and brother had been searching for him and were finally reunited at the hospital, where he was being treated for his injuries. Benastick’s uncle described his recovery as “kind of unbelievable” and an avid outdoorsman like him being found alive after surviving for so long in extreme cold without proper shelter and supplies is a remarkable miracle.