When a person goes missing, it can go one of three ways — a devastating tragedy, a frustrating cold case, or a miraculous return. Fortunately, in the case of a missing 89-year-old hiker, there's good news. He managed to survive on his own for 10 days in the wilderness.
I'm going to be honest with you. I don't know if I could survive on my own for 10 days in the wilderness. That's especially true if I didn't have the right supplies. So the fact that the 89-year-old hiker managed to beat the odds shows his grit. He's a true outdoorsman, proving age is just a number. Bing Olbum went missing in Idaho earlier in August. Flash forward 10 days later, and authorities finally found the hiker. They're calling it an "extraordinary outcome."
89-Year-Old Hiker Survives
Olbum was missing for 10 days, Custer County Sheriff's Office said in a post on Facebook. He went hiking in the Salmon-Challis National Forest on August 1. They last saw him on Hunter Creek Trailhead. Authorities didn't find him until late on August 11. That's over a week on his own. Search and rescue teams searched the forest for Olbum after he didn't show up at the Mcdonald Creek area. That's where the route was supposed to take him.
While it's not his first time hiking, it was his first time tackling the trail. "Our Search and Rescue units are activated and searching the possible trails," the sheriff's office said in the Facebook post. To make matters worse, the 89-year-old hiker only had roughly five days worth of supplies. So that means he survived for twice as long. At this time, we're not sure if he rationed, but we would imagine that he did.
Search and rescue crews searched the area for days. Locals also got involved in the hunt for Olbum. Fortunately, they found the missing hiker. He returned back to his home the same evening. So it doesn't sound like he was too injured or in a bad conditon.
"Bing's will to survive has resulted in an unbelievably good ending to this incident," the sheriff's office said. "We hope that his recovery is swift, and he will be enjoying time with his family and friends."
