Hiker missing for nearly a week ate bees to survive
A hiker missing for nearly a week killed and ate bees to survive.
The 40-year-old man, Matthew B. Matheny from Ohio, United States, got lost after setting out on a day hike in unfamiliar terrain. The last time he was seen was on August 9.
On Wednesday he was found on Mount St Helens on a flank of the peak nearly a week after he set out and survived by eating berries and bees, authorities and the man’s relatives said.
He was in good condition, talking and did not appear to have suffered life-threatening injuries but was flown to a hospital to spend the night as a precaution, the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
His parents told reporters outside the Vancouver, Washington hospital that he was being treated for dehydration and would stay overnight, adding that he ate berries and killed bees that he also ate.
Friends last saw Mr Matheny when he borrowed a car and headed to Blue Lake Trail on the southwest side of St Helens.
They reported him missing after he failed to return, prompting a search. A sheriff’s deputy found the borrowed Subaru Outback at the trailhead on Saturday.
About 30 search-and-rescue personnel, assisted by helicopters, tracking dogs and a drone operated by the sheriff’s office, searched for him daily.
Searchers on Tuesday decided to focus on a 2.6 square kilometre area based on mobile phone signals and a computer model that sought to predict Mr Matheny’s movements.
Blue Lake Trail is a short walk through meadows and tall fir trees to Blue Lake, according to the Washington Trails Association, Beyond the Lake. Hikers can access other trails and ridges, leading to views of Mount St Helens and Mount Adams.
Mr Matheny was found below a different trail, authorities said.
“He was in the free forest at this point. He lost the trail, he fell down the steep back,” Paul Pepper, another member of the rescue team said.
With AP
