An 89-year-old man hiking the Hunter Creek Trail in Idaho’s Salmon Challis National Forest was found by local residents after going 10 days without food or water. “His will to survive” allowed him to reunite with his family, the Custer County sheriff said.
Bing Olbum geared up for an adventure on the Hunter Creek Trail, packed his hiking gear and headed into Salmon Challis National Forest on Aug. 1. The old man was an experienced hiker who had been doing this for decades, but officials say “something went wrong, because he got lost.”
They reported her missing after 6 days
Bing Olbum’s children, after seeing their father not return after the five-day limit, went to the National Forest, but had no news of Olbum, so they reported him missing to the Custer County Sheriff’s Office on August 6.
Sheriff Levi Maydole sent out an alert to begin searching the Hunter Creek Trail. A week had passed and there had been no news of Olbum, and his family was thinking the worst, his daughter Jennifer told Local News 8.
Local residents with horses searched for him
Relatives hired an extra team of private rescuers, while local residents told Olbum’s family they would support the search on horseback. Ten days after the hiker set out on his trek, his campsite was found, but he was not there.
They followed a trail Olbum had left behind and found him in a sleeping bag. Rescuers had an extra horse to help him get on the trail and take him to the trailhead where his family and medical services were located, the sheriff said in a statement.
Ten days without water or food
“Bing Olbum has been found and is at home. This is an extraordinary outcome to this incident! His campsite was located late on the evening of August 10. Local residents ventured out on horseback and located him,” Maydole said.
The hiker’s daughter, Jennifer, who is a doctor, told Local News 8 that “because of the situation, I thought my father had another 48 hours to live.”
Dehydrated with scratches, but stable
Jennifer also told the same news outlet that her father was dehydrated and had some scratches, but was generally in good condition. He was examined by doctors to rule out any problems, and then arrived home in the early hours of August 11, after 10 days missing, without food or water.
“Bing’s will to survive has resulted in an incredibly good ending to this incident. We hope he makes a speedy recovery, and is enjoying time with his family and friends,” Sheriff Maydole said.
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