Missing hiker found in Sequoia National Park, reunited with family
The search for a California backpacker who went missing in Sequoia National Park is over.
Bill Roberts has been found and is in good health. He is being reunited with his family, according to park officials.
Roberts, of Lake Tahoe, was reported missing Saturday, when he was supposed to meet up with family members at Bullfrog Lake after a three-day solo backpacking trip along the John Muir Trail, according to a statement by the National Park Service.
The 76-year-old's family had dropped Roberts off Wednesday at the Cottonwood Pass trailhead, which goes to a portion of the Golden Trout Wilderness in central California's Inyo National Forest, park service spokeswoman Rebecca Paterson said in a news release.
Roberts was carrying a GPS tracker that allowed his family to follow his progress, but the tracker stopped giving updates when he was near a ridgeline of Caltech Peak, which is just over 13,800 feet in elevation.
Roberts said he lost the tracker device while descending the west side of Caltech Peak. He found his way back to the Lake South America Trail and ran into another hiker late Monday morning, at an elevation of about 11,500 feet. He used their tracking device to contact his family.
A park search team located him 10 minutes later, Paterson said.
Gone: He survived an avalanche on Everest. Then he disappeared on a California mountain.
Search on for missing people in Maui: 'Burnt down to ashes': Families search for missing people in Maui as death count climbs
Tracks found
Search crews began looking for Roberts in the area where the GPS tracker last pinged and found some of his tracks on Sunday, Paterson said.
Roberts, who was on his first solo overnight backpacking trip, had intended to pass through areas that are still covered with snow and creeks that have unseasonably swift waters, she said.
“This incident really underscores the fact that there is still a lot of snow in the high country, and it’s very easy to lose a trail in those conditions, especially with afternoon thunderstorms,” Incident Commander Dave Fox said. “Fortunately, this story had a positive outcome, but we urge everyone to be extra prepared and cautious in your trip planning and execution. The consequences of getting turned around can be deadly serious.”
Fall at Rocky Mountain National Park 21-year-old woman dies after falling 300 feet at Rocky Mountain National Park
The park service asked that anyone who has been in or around the area of Roberts’ planned itinerary since Wednesday to contact Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks at the tip line, 888-653-0009, whether or not you believe that you saw him.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Missing hiker found in Sequoia National Park
