A 70-year-old hiker was found alive and safe Wednesday morning after spending five days alone in the Sierra Nevada wilderness, authorities said.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 text message around 8 a.m. Wednesday from someone saying they were with a missing person, according to a Sheriff’s Office social media post. The man was later identified as 70-year-old Warren Elliott.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter picked up Elliott and took him to a command post at Homewood Mountain Resort, officials said.
“Mr. Elliott was greeted with cheers and applause and then reunited with his family, which was an emotional moment for everyone.
Officials said Elliott was walking in a familiar area around 3 p.m. Friday, but when he was walking back to the Rubicon Springs camping area, he went the wrong way. He survived by eating berries and drinking river water. He was found “in good spirits” and uninjured.
He was last seen near Cadillac Mountain and was found about nine miles away at Hellhole Reservoir, but he walked more than that during the five days he was missing, authorities said.
Authorities say 50 to 100 searchers from 10 agencies across the state are looking for Elliott every day. Much of the search has focused on the Rubicon Trail, a 22-mile route in the Sierra Nevada Mountains west of Lake Tahoe.
Elliott has been working with others to clear roads in preparation for the weekend Jeep Jamboree — a guided, family-oriented adventure for off-road enthusiasts. He was a passenger in his son’s Jeep and disappeared after leaving the group on Friday.
