A 70-year-old hiker was found alive Wednesday after spending five days lost in the Sierra Nevada wilderness.
Warren Elliott was spotted around 8 a.m. by another hiker passing by California’s Hell Hole Reservoir, about 10 miles west of Lake Tahoe, officials announced.
Thrilling video shows the exhausted man wearing tattered clothing and gripping a water bottle embracing his relieved family at the command post at Homewood Mountain Resort after he was finally airlifted to safety.
Elliott was miraculously walking without assistance — earning a hearty round of applause and cheers from bewildered rescue officials, the footage shows.
He was also handed back his beloved cowboy hat, which he left behind when he went on what he thought was to be a brief, leisurely walk.
The tenacious hiker said he was familiar with the area, but made a devastating wrong turn around 3 p.m. Friday.
He was camping in Rubicon Springs with a group doing trail rehab ahead of an upcoming car event dubbed the Jeepers Jamboree, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said.
Elliott survived the excruciating five days by drinking water from the river and munching on foraged berries.
“From the point he was last seen, near Cadillac Hill, to the area he was found, Hell Hole Reservoir, is roughly 9 miles as the crow flies; however, he walked much further than that over the five days,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Mr. Elliott was not hurt and is in good spirits.”
Elliott’s disappearance sparked a massive manhunt that included as many as 100 rescuers per day, Blackhawk helicopters, drones, dog teams and ATVs.
Even workers from the Jeepers Jamboree pitched in by feeding rescuers and providing a place to camp overnight.
Eliott’s tale of survival comes just days after a missing 75-year-old retired teacher was found alive after being stuck in a bog for four days.
Mike Altmaier was walking through the Maine woods when he slipped on moss and fell over an embankment.
